Sacrifices
by Brynwyth
Summary: Frisk has freed the monsters of the Underground. Finally, monster kind is allowed to return to the surface. It's been 3 years since then. Yet the monsters still struggle to find their place within the world. Most accept the monsters, but there are those who wish nothing more than the annihilation of monster kind. Not merely sealing them away.
1. Introduction

Before you begin the story, here's some things to know.

1) Frisk is a girl.  
2) Chara is a girl.  
3) Mettaton is a boy.  
4) Alphys and Undyne are not in a romantic relationship. They are merely friends. (The two didn't work out. However they maintain a close friendship.)  
5) Frisk (and Chara) are 17.  
6) Toriel is 55.  
7) Asgore is 57.  
8) Sans is 21.  
9) Papyrus is 19.  
10) Alphys is 22.  
11) Undyne is 24.  
12) The story takes place 3 years after the True Pacifist run. However, a Genocide run was done beforehand.  
13) Frisk mainly communicates through sign language, though she _can_ talk.

While most of the monsters can be presumed to be very old, the ages previously stated is what I believe their physical age would be in human terms.

Gentle reminder to all that this is a **fanfiction**. _Not_ everything that happens in this world is in accordance to the original Undertale. This is **_my interpretation, my completely not cannon story, my extremely fictional piece of literature_** **.** If you don't like it, don't read it. Please and thank you! I hope you enjoy this rendition of Undertale. :)


	2. Chapter 1

Darkness was all around me. It was familiar, but not comforting in the slightest. Footsteps to my left startled me. I jerked my head in that direction. It was... Me. A younger version of myself. They weren't facing me though. They were turned to someone else. I could see a knife in their hand.

"HUMAN," A certain skeleton's voice called out to younger me. Papyrus.

Before he could say another word, little me lunged at him.

"No!" I cried out. "Not again!"

Younger me mercilessly slashed into Papyrus as tears streamed down my cheeks. I sank to my knees as I heard Papyrus's last words once more.

"I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN. IF YOU JUST TRIED A LITTLE..."

His words died away as his body turned to dust.

 _Why?!_ I thought angrily. Why put me through this again? I know what I did was wrong. I was only curious, and desperate to save Chara. I wanted to stop after a little while. But then I couldn't. Something, or someone, rather, wouldn't let me. Guilt weighed heavily on my chest.

Then younger me turned my way.

 **"You're next."**

I stopped. That voice... It wasn't mine. My eyes widened. Little me's form flickered. With each step they took, they stabilized. Soon, I was looking at a girl with a green and yellow striped sweater. Short, light brown hair framed her face, red eyes alight.

"Chara," My breath caught.

 **"It's been awhile, partner."**

Chara broke into a run, knife poised over her head.

 _"AHHH-"_

"AHHHHHHHH!" I woke up in a cold sweat. My breathing was erratic. I clutched the sheets for stability.

What just happened?

In the next few moments, I could hear pounding at my door.

"Frisk? Frisk, are you okay?" Toriel's frantic voice came through from the other side. "I'm coming in!" The door opened, and my gaze landed on her figure. Worry spiked in her eyes as she took in my disheveled form. "My child, what happened?"

Her voice soothed me. I slowed my breathing.

"N-Nothing," I signed, hands shaking. "Just a bad dream."

Toriel gave me a knowing look before sitting on my bed, pulling me into her warm embrace. I buried my face into her shoulder. I leaned out of her hug and gave Toriel a small smile.

"It's childish, huh. What's a seventeen-year-old getting nightmares for?" Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

Toriel looked at me kindly.

"It's not childish. Everyone gets a bad dream every now and then."

If only she knew. These dreams had been plaguing ever since we all left the Underground. And Sans wasn't helping any.

"Would you like to tell me what it was about?"

I looked into her eyes. So soft and caring. But I couldn't tell her. She doesn't need to worry about me anymore than she already does. I shook my head. I could see a spark of sadness, but only for an instant.

"I see. I will respect your privacy, my child. Remember, you can trust me. Tell me when you're ready." Toriel smiled warmly at me before kissing the top of my head. "Goodnight, little one. Stay _DETERMINED_. Sweet dreams." And with that, she left.

I flopped back down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Going back to sleep wasn't really an option. Not unless I wanted to end up back there. Back to him. One of the two people I couldn't save, no matter how hard I tried.

I'd been through several resets trying to find a way that would allow Chara and Asriel to come back to the surface. I had eventually given up.

I remember when I had once again reached the end. My hand hovered over then _RESET_ button. Both Asriel and Chara came to me. I was so surprised. They convinced me to do a genocide run. That it was the only way that they could have their happy ending. All the others had had theirs already, so why not?

But before I was even halfway into the genocide run, I wanted to stop. Only to find that I couldn't. Chara had taken over my body. We killed all of them. Every single last monster. This run was so short. It didn't take long to reach the judgment hall. The look of betrayal on Sans' face is forever etched into my mind. I had killed his brother. And everyone else that he cared about.

I didn't want to fight anymore. I didn't want to kill. We kept dying over and over as we fought Sans. Until I couldn't take it. I wouldn't let this happen anymore. Chara was strong, but with my _DETERMINATION_ , I regained control of my body and spared Sans. I could see the relief in his eyes when he saw me give up. Then he killed me. I hit the _RESET_ button for the last time as his final words rang in my ears.

"get dunked oooooooon!"

I stared into the darkness for what seemed like hours. Eventually light began to filter in my bedroom.

Another day begins.


	3. Chapter 2

There are some benefits to being homeschooled. Like waking up and starting school whenever you want. However, Toriel makes sure I start my school work at eight o'clock sharp. What a drag.

I groaned as I rolled out of bed. Another sleepless night. I'm surprised I haven't died of exhaustion. I'm worn to the bone. I chuckled, shaking my head at the joke I made. Sans has rubbed off on me a little too much.

I stumbled to the bedroom door. After slowly easing the door open, I looked into the hallway. No one was there. Toriel must still be asleep. I made my way into the bathroom, hand brushing against the wall to locate the light switch. After three attempts, I was finally successful. The lights flicked on. I turned and looked into the mirror. For a split second, glowing red eyes stared back at me. I jumped, blinking rapidly.

 _What was that?_ I thought, a bit perturbed. I quickly dismissed the little scene and turned the water facet on. After splashing water on my face and drying it, I looked into the mirror once more. Tired blue eyes greeted me, dark circles shadowing my face. I've seen better days. I sighed and took out my makeup bag from under the cabinet sink. Undyne had showed me how to properly apply concealer and the sorts. Which surprised me, considering this was Undyne I'm talking about here.

Who knew the head of Agore's secret service, as they're now calling it, knows how to do perfectly winged eyeliner?

I was almost done "putting on my face" when I heard a knock at the door. I quickly finished and put my makeup away. I opened the bathroom door to come face to face with Asgore.

"Howdy, Frisk." He smiled warmly at me.

"Good morning!" I signed back.

"Toriel is waiting for you downstairs with breakfast."

I nodded then headed out of the bathroom. The aroma of bacon and coffee floated up the stairs. I made my way down into the kitchen to see Toriel making eggs and bacon. She glanced up and saw me standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, my child! I have your coffee ready for you. Just the way you like it. It's in the dining room on the table."

I signed thank you to her before making my way to the dining table. Just as she said, a mug of steaming coffee was waiting for me. I picked it up then sat down at the table as I took a sip from the mug. A little coffee with my creamer. Perfect!

I sat at the table nursing my coffee while waiting for Toriel to be finished with breakfast. I glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Seven seventeen am. The skeleton brothers should be here soon. They have breakfast with us every Friday morning without fail.

Just as Toriel came in with a giant plate of eggs and bacon, the bell rang. I stood up.

"I'll get it." I signed to Toriel.

I exited the dining room and went through the living room to get to the front door. When I got to the door, I paused, hand hovering over the door knob. Why am I hesitating? I shook my head then opened the door. Sans's ever smiling face greeted mine. Papyrus was behind him. There was a container in his hands. Spaghetti, presumably.

"HUMAN," Papyrus greeted me. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS AM HERE. I HAVE ALSO BROUGHT SPAGHETTI."

I smiled at Papyrus. Then the dream flashed back into my mind for a moment. My smile faltered for a second, but Papyrus didn't seem to notice. Sans said nothing.

"SANS, DON'T BE RUDE. SAY HELLO TO THE HUMAN."

Sans looked at me for a moment.

"sup, kiddo." His eye sockets stared back at me ominously.

"Good to see you," I signed. "Come on in!"

I backed out of the doorway to let the two skeletons through. As Sans passed me, I glanced at him. He caught me looking and I swiftly turned the other way. I felt heat creep into my cheeks. Stared a bit too long.

I followed the brothers into the dining room. Toriel was almost done setting the table. She looked up as we entered.

"Ah. Sans, Papyrus. Good morning! Papyrus, you can put the spaghetti next to the pitcher of orange juice. Asgore should be joining us shortly."

" _ice_ to see you too, tori." Sans chuckled at his pun.

"REALLY SANS?" Papyrus groaned. "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T SAY ANY PUNS TODAY."

This was met with a shrug and a wink.

"whoopsie. i _froggit_."

"SANS!"

"alright, alright." Sans grinned.

"Howdy, everyone." A deep voice said from behind.

"ASGORE!" Papyrus said happily. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

Asgore laughed.

"I had to finish up some paperwork."

"AH. I SEE. WELL, YOU ARE JUST IN TIME TO HAVE SOME OF MY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI. WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED EATING YET."

"All right everyone," Toriel sat down at the table. "Sit down and eat!"

The rest of us sat down and began to fill our plates with food. I made sure to get at least one helping of Papyrus' spaghetti as to not disappoint him. The room was filled with lively conversation. I choose not to partake though. I just wanted to finish my food and leave. When I was done, I stood up and grabbed my plate. I looked over to Sans to see him staring at me. I looked away.

"I'll be starting school now," I signed to everyone.

"Oh, alright, Frisk." Toriel looked a bit disappointed that I was leaving so soon.

I left the dining room and brought my plate to the sink. After putting my dishes into the dishwasher, I headed upstairs to my study.

 _I know it was rude of me not to talk to any of them... I don't know why I didn't. Maybe that nightmare is still getting to me..._ I thought with a sigh.

I entered the study only to find Sans sitting at my desk.


	4. Chapter 3

"S-Sans?" I stuttered. Did he teleport in here? That had to be the only way he got in and beat me.

Sans glanced back at me, a lazy smile on his face. I looked away.

"heh. ya actually spoke."

"Don't get used to that," I signed, annoyed. "What are you doing in here?"

"why won't cha look at me?" He countered. His eyes lost any warmth they had held.

I froze. Papyrus' death flashed through my mind once more.

"No reason." I played with my hands nervously.

"kiddo, i can see that under all yer make up is evidence of someone who ain't been sleepin' very well. and hasn't fer a long time. ya can fool them, but cha can't fool me. now," Sans's tone grew serious. "what's goin' on?"

I glared at him.

"Why do you care?"

"if looks could kill, i'd be a dead skeleton." There was no humor in his voice.

I continued to glare at him, not telling him anything. I will stand here all day if I must.

"kid, yer really startin' ta tick me off. tha only reason that i could think of that would lead ya to avoidin' me is that 's related ta papyrus–"

I laughed bitterly, cutting him off.

"Of course, you don't actually care about my wellbeing. It's always about your brother." I stared at the ground. Hot tears beginning to prick my eyes.

"naturally, i'm concerned about my brother. especially if yer involved. are ya really expecting me ta trust ya after whatcha did?!" Sans spat venomously, his left eye beginning to glow.

My hands trembled in anger. This guy!

"No," I growled. My hands were shaking too much for me to use them. "I knew you wouldn't trust me at first. Heck, I didn't even trust myself for a while." My voice was slightly raspy from its disuse. "But you would think that I would eventually regain your trust. Especially after three years!" Some of the syllables spilling from my lips sounded odd.

"ya ain't done-"

"Shut up!" I looked up at him as hot, angry tears were flowing down my face. I saw surprise in Sans's eyes, but they quickly hardened.

"I have shown nothing but love and kindness to Papyrus, to _everyone_ , since this last run. Since I set all the monsters free! And I've been working very hard to make it so you all are given the right to live on the surface." My neck hair prickled. I hadn't spoken this much since I was a child. "You think I don't know what I did was wrong two resets ago?"

"frisk–"

I cut him off once more. I was on a roll.

"Are you aware of the sleepless nights I've had because of the nightmares that assault me every night? Watching everyone I love and care about die over and over again..." I was sobbing at this point. Sans said nothing, staring at his feet.

"Do you think I _enjoyed_ killing them? The monsters that showed me nothing but kindness and love?" I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "Ha... You don't even know why I did what I did, do you? Why I reset so many times after giving everyone their perfect, happy ending." I looked at Sans, waiting for him to look up at me in the eyes.

Silence ensued for a little while before he finally looked up.

"no, i dunno why. would ya care ta enlighten me?"

"Happy to," My voice was hard. I took a deep breathe, allowing myself to calm down some.

"I wanted to save everyone. And at the end of the first run, I thought I did. But then I remembered someone. So, I went back to the beginning. To where it all began. Back to one of the people I couldn't save. Asriel. At the time, I believed it was only him I didn't save. But then I soon realized there was someone else. Chara.

"I kept resetting. Trying different things in hopes of saving them as well as the rest of the monsters, but to no avail. It seemed impossible. Until after one reset, Chara told me how to give him and Chara their happy ending. And I thought, why not? Everyone else has already had their own plenty of times. Boy was I an idiot for believing her."

"ya got that right."

"Shut up," I glared at Sans once more. "I'm not done."

The skeleton's eyes hardened and his hands balled into fists, but he said nothing.

"I soon realized what I was doing was wrong. That there had to be another way to give Asriel and Chara their happy ending. Without killing everyone I love." I paused, bowing my head. "After all this time, I still haven't figured that part out yet..." I looked back up at Sans. "I need you to know. I am very truly sorry about what I did. I can't imagine the pain I caused you. I want you to be able to trust me again. I want to go back to being friends. The way things were before all of that happened..." Tears sprang up in my eyes again. I blinked them away furiously.

"You've heard my piece. Now. Get. Out."

Sans left without a word. Opting to leave through the door, rather than teleport.

I sighed and flopped into my chair, exhausted. That took a lot out of me. Wow. But... It felt kinda good to get that off my chest. I slung my arm across my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks. I never want to have to do something like that again.


	5. Chapter 4

My voice was hoarse and I felt drained. But I needed to get school work done. I was barely into my first lesson for the day when I heard a knock on my door.

"Frisk," Toriel's voice sounded from the other side. "I'm coming in."

I sighed, putting my pencil down as Toriel opened the door. She had a concerned look on her face.

"My child, are you okay? We heard a lot of muffled yelling. Was that you?" She paused then looked away. "When Sans came back he seemed... Off. What happened between you two?"

I looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Hopefully," I signed, "I cleared some things up with him. That's all."

Toriel said nothing for a few moments. Would she accept what I told her? It wasn't much of an explanation. Rather, not the explanation she was hoping for. But she didn't press the issue.

"All right, my child. If you don't want to say any more, I understand. I'll let you get back to your school work." Toriel hugged me tightly before leaving. I hated to leave her out of things like this, but what happened earlier was private. Something that will stay only between me and Sans.

Right after Toriel left, I went straight to work. I used school to forget all my problems for a little while. However, all things must come to an end. I was tempted to begin working on the following Monday's lessons, then decided against it. I'd locked myself in my study for over five hours. I also needed sustenance. Besides that, Toriel would fillet me if I stayed up here all day.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was a little past one. As if on cue, my stomach grumbled. A bacon cheese burger and some fries sounded really good right about now. I left my study and went downstairs. Toriel was on the couch knitting. She looked up as I came in.

"I'm going to Grilby's, okay?" I signed to her. Toriel smiled. She showed no signs of being bothered by the incident from earlier.

"Of course, my child. When will you be back?"

I thought for a moment. I didn't plan to come back right away after I ate. I wanted to visit Alphys. Maybe watch some anime with her.

"I'll be back before dinner, so around seven or six."

"All right. Be safe!"

I blew her a kiss before grabbing my car keys. My car was nothing special. It was a silver stick shift Jetta. I got it for around a grand. The price wasn't too bad. The car was in pretty good shape. Though the clutch stalls every now and then. I got into my car, started it, then backed out of the drive way. Grilby's was about a ten-minute drive from my house. It was one of the hotspots in town.

When Grilby move his bar up to the surface, humans started frequenting the place. It caused quite a controversy with the anti-monster groups out there. Though not as much as monsters coming back to the surface did. However, after a while things quieted down. Grilby's is now some kind of neutral ground, politically speaking anyways. There are a lot of places that have instated a no monster policy. As the ambassador for the monsters, I'm fighting against this discrimination. Progress is slow, but we're getting there. As of now, we're doing pretty good since monsters can become citizens. Well, in most countries.

Soon enough, I pulled into Grilby's parking lot. I was lucky to even find a spot. Grilby's was packed today. No surprise there, it being Friday and all. I made my way to the bar's entrance. The bouncer, Lesser Dog, waved me on through. I pet him on the head before heading in. I laughed as he started shaking excitedly. That brought back memories from our fight. I did not know a dog's neck could stretch as far as his did.

I shut the door behind me, then surveyed the entire bar. Humans and monsters were conversing peacefully. That's the way it should be everywhere... One day, I thought. I headed over to the bar table and sat in my usual seat. The chair to my right was empty. That's odd. Sans is usually here every day. Maybe he didn't want to see me after what happened this morning. I heard someone clear their throat and I was snapped out of thoughts. When my eyes focused, I saw Grilby. I smiled at the fire elemental monster.

"Will you be having the usual?"

I nodded.

"I'll be back, Ms Frisk."

I made a face at him after he left to take care of my order. He's so formal! But I guess it fits his personality. A few moments later, Grilby came back with my bacon cheese burger. It looked like heaven in a burger. Before I dug in, I had one question for Grilbz.

"Have you seen Sans today?" I signed.

Grilby shook his head. If he had facial features, I swear he would be looking at me with an arched brow.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" He asked.

"nothin' of much importance."

I jumped as Sans materialized next to me.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Would suggest you listen to "Respite" while reading this once you get to around halfway in.**  
-

Everything about the way Sans had said that told me to drop the subject. So, I did.

"You're late today, Sans," I signed.

Sans glanced at me before looking back at Grilby.

"How nice of you to arrive. Are you going to finally pay your tab?" Grilby gave Sans a knowing look. Er, well, he probably did. It sure sounded like it.

"nope," Sans's grin grew wider.

"That's what I thought," he said, chuckling. "Shall I get you a bottle of ketchup? We got a new shipment in today."

"hit me."

I sat silently during the entire exchange, chomping on my burger. After Grilby left, Sans crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down. He didn't say anything for several moments.

"kid... i-" He didn't finish his sentence. Grilby had returned with his ketchup bottle.

"thanks, grilbz."

Grilby simply nodded before moving off to attend to another customer. Sans downed the bottle in one go. I don't understand this guy's obsession with ketchup. I think it tastes great and all, but I wouldn't recommend it as a drink. He turned towards me.

"can we go somewhere more private?"

I gave him a wary look from over the top of my burger.

"i'm not goin' ta try anythun. i promise."

I nodded then wiggled my hand with the burger in it. I wanted to finish eating. I'm only five bites into it.

"right, of course. want some ketchup fer it?" He winked at me.

I made a face, remembering the first time Sans took me to Grilby's. Sans laughed, then turned away from me. We sat in awkward silence as I finished my meal. When I was done, I put my hand his to signal to him that I was done. He jumped a little before facing me then turning away. I blinked. Was there a light blue tinge to his cheek bones just now? _No matter_. I dismissed the thought. My vision blurred and turned blue. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw that we were in a field... A field of echo flowers. On the surface? How? When?

"beautiful, ain't it?"

I turned to Sans and was about to reply when I saw that I was still handing his hand. I quickly let go, feeling my face flush.

"Sorry," I signed. "But yes, it is beautiful. When did this happen?"

Sans shrugged.

"i dunno. but i'm glad it did."

We just stood there in silence for a little while. It wasn't awkward or tense like it was at the bar. It was peaceful. We could hear the birds singing as we watched the flowers blooming. I grimaced a little at that thought. Not a good joke to be making... I glanced back at Sans only to find him looking right back at me.

"So," I signed. "What did you want to talk to me about back at Grilby's?" Sans looked away.

"i... i wanted ta apologize,"

My eyes widened in surprise.

 **Sans's POV:**

"what i'm about ta say is no excuse for how i've been behavin' towards ya these past three years, but hey, i'm gonna say it anyways." I sighed heavily. "i hated ya after ya killed my brother. when i saw his scarf lyin' in tha snow... i felt so betrayed. after everythin' you'd done, i couldn't believe it."

 _i couldn't believe the girl I'd grown so fond of would be capable of such a thing._

Frisk looked down and bit her lip. She's so cute when she does that. _argh, what am i thinkin'? at a time like this, too. get on with it._

"back in tha judgement hall... when ya SPARED me after dying fer tha fifth time... it surprised me, y'know. right as ya hit tha MERCY button, i noticed yer eyes fade from red to bright blue. tha relief in yer eyes was evident. i shoulda known ya weren't really yerself during our fight. though, at one point durin' yer genocide run, ya were." My eye sockets darkened at that. She had meant to kill every last one of us, regardless of whether she had changed her mind. To help the murderer, she became the murderer. It was a sad truth.

"i was so confused when ya SPARED me. there was no one left, so why now? ta make it that i would have ta suffer an eternity alone? no. that wasn't it. though i wasn't exactly sure why. i realized that after i killed ya. as i held yer lifeless body in my arms..." I could feel tears starting to well up as I remembered.

"i hated ya. yet i cared so much. i wish it hadn't been tha way it was. and then it wasn't. everythin' went black. and i woke up in my house in Snowdin. back ta the beginnin'. i couldn't trust ya. i didn't know what ya planned to do. when ya came back, ya acted just like tha Frisk i had known before the Genocide run. and i resented ya fer that. fer going along as though nothing happened. i realize now ya did that fer their sakes. and ya did yer best to be a good friend ta all of them. ta be their family. ya even tried to make amends with me right after we made it ta tha surface. i rejected yer apology. my heart full of LOVE fer ya, instead of love. if that makes any sense." I gave a small laugh.

"ya knew what ya did was wrong. then ya fixed it. i could see how sorry ya were when ya SPARED me. when ya came back. i could see tha guilt flashing in yer eyes when ya thought they weren't looking. but i chose ta ignore it and remained bitter... until this morning. when i found out why ya had done it. when i learned that ya were suffering jus' as much as i was."

 **Frisk's POV:**

Sans let out a breath of air. I'd never heard him say so much in all the time that I've known him. He was never that open. The few times he tried in the past, he would stop himself. I knew I had made Sans suffer. And now I know just how much. I also know that despite his hatred for what I did, he still cared about me...

"kid, yer way too nice for yer own good."

I laughed bitterly and signed "I know," as tears welled up. Sans had finally forgiven me. I looked down. I didn't want him to see me crying.

"hey, look at me."

I refused. Sans stepped closer to me and put a bony finger under my chin, lifting my face up. We were almost nose to nose hole. I wasn't that much shorter than he was. Maybe an inch or two. My heart beat faster and I felt my throat close. Sans looked into my eyes for a moment. Then he closed his eye sockets and pulled me in for a hug.


	7. Chapter 6

We stayed that way for a little while. It was... Nice. I missed this... The last time we hugged like this was right before I reset for the Genocide run. I barely reached his shoulders then.

I couldn't bear to look at him, knowing what I was about to do. I just buried my face in his chest and whispered, "I'm sorry...". Then I reset.

The crook of my neck fit perfectly on Sans' shoulder. I wanted to stay like this forever. I felt my eyes droop. He was so warm... Suddenly, I jerked out of his embrace. Surprise and hurt flickered across Sans's face.

"I'm sorry," I signed. "But what time is it?" I panicked. I could see the sun was going down. Just how long had we been out here?

Realization dawned upon Sans' features as he understood why I freaked out and stopped hugging him.

"just a sec, kid," He said as he pulled out his phone. "it's almost eight o'clock."

I felt my face pale. Toriel was going to fillet me.

"I am so _boned_."

Sans laughed.

"dun worry kiddo, i've got a shortcut."

I smiled gratefully at Sans and took his hand. We walked a few paces before disappearing, a slight blue glow fading from where we just were.

We re-materialized in my living room to find a frantic Toriel.

"FRISK," She ran over to me, completely ignoring Sans, and swept me up in a bear hug. After making sure I was okay, her face turned scary. "My child, how could you be so irresponsible! I was so worried when you didn't pick up your phone or answered your texts."

I cringed and looked down. _Cruuuuuuuuuumbs._

"It was on silent," I signed timidly.

"That is NO excuse, young lady! You are so grounded!"

I looked up at her in disbelief.

"B-but my job!" My hands flailed.

"Ambassador for monster kind or not, you are still my child. You should've thought about that before staying out so late. You do not get to be treated special. Someone else will have to cover for you."

Sans, who had been silent during the whole exchange, spoke up.

"tori, it wazn't her fault. i lost track of time."

Toriel's stern gaze snapped to Sans. She had finally noticed him.

"It doesn't matter, she's still responsible for her own actions."

I sighed, defeated. Toriel turned back to me.

"Go to your room. Your dinner is waiting up there for you."

"Yes ma'am," I signed sullenly.

I began the walk of shame up to my bedroom. I can't wait until I'm eighteen, I thought. Then I can get my own place and not be grounded, ever.

 **Sans's POV:**

Toriel gave me an earful after Frisk left. I sighed inwardly.

"tori, don't ya think yer being a bit harsh on her? she's almost an adult, she can take care of herself."

She gave me a sad look.

"I know she can. I know she's almost an adult. I know I'm being harsh. But I... I can't help it. She's growing up so quickly. It's been almost four years and now I'm about to lose her. When she moves out, she won't need me anymore."

I could see the tears beginning to brim in her eyes. I reached out and grabbed Toriel's hands.

"tori, jus' because she's growin' up don't mean yer goin' ta lose her. you'll jus' become a part of her life in a different way. knowin' frisk, even if she does move out, she'll still need ya. yer her mother, adopted or not. children dun ever stop needin' their mom, no matter how old they get."

Toriel gave me a trembling smile.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, Sans. I think I owe Frisk an apology for lashing out the way I did. However, she's still grounded. While I understand she can take care of herself, she was still being irresponsible for not letting me know that she was going to be out later than she thought."

I cracked a smile at her.

"whatever ya say, tori. i need ta make like tha wind and blow outta here. pappy gets cranky without his bedtime story. an' i'm sure he'll give me an un _froggit_ able lecture 'bout how lazy and irresponsible i am."

Toriel laughed at that then started to head for the stairs. I was about to teleport when she called out to me.

"Oh, and Sans?"

"yea?"

"Can you cover for Frisk at her meeting with the mayor tomorrow?"

"sure," I winked. "anything fer tha kid."

"I'm glad you two are finally getting along." She smiled.

I gave her a surprised look.

"Don't think I didn't notice. Goat Mom knows what's up when her _kid_ is involved."

We both chuckled. Then I teleported away.

 **A/N: So that was a little shorter than usual. But I think it ended on a good note. I made a section in Sans' POV again. Do you guys like that, or nah? Anyways, it'll be a few chapters before we get to see from his perspective regardless. Hope you all enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: As the ever protective mother, Toriel has forbidden Frisk to use certain words. Prepare to be amused by her substitutions. x'D**

I flopped on my bed and sighed. Being grounded Shop Vac 2000's. Majorly. There is NOTHING to do. At least I'm only grounded for the weekend. Toriel was originally going to ground me for the entire next week, but Sans must've said something that swayed her decision seeing as she had come up to my room a little later to apologize.

I suppose I could start on next week's school work... But I don't wanna. I glanced at the clock. It read three twenty-four pm. I guess I can take a nap. Try to catch up on sleep... I hadn't gotten much the night before. Hopefully I won't be visited by another nightmare. Though that's probably asking too much. I flipped to my side and closed my eyes. My breathing slowed and after what seemed like an eternity, I fell asleep.

I was once again in that oh so familiar darkness. But something felt... Different. Suddenly, my soul was pulsing in front of me. I was entering a fight? Someone materialized before me. Green sweater with a yellow stripe. Brown hair. Red eyes. Gleaming knife. Chara.

 **"We meet again, partner."**

"What do you want? Why are you here?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Chara cocked her head to the side. She smirked.

 **"Guess."**

"To kill me," I stated. That wasn't a question. It was written in her eyes what she planned to do.

 **"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!"**

Chara giggled. Then without warning, she came at me. I narrowly dodged her attack, feeling the air her knife slash had created. Four options appeared before me.

 _FIGHT | ACT | ITEM | MERCY_

I hit the _ACT_ button.

"Why are you doing this?" I cried out.

 **"I need your body to kill everyone."**

I made an exasperated sound while dodging her next attack.

"Still?! What do you have to gain from that?"

 **"My happy ending."**

Chara's eyes gleamed with fervor. She truly believed that annihilating the whole world would bring her happiness. I needed to prove her wrong.

"That's not going to give you your happy ending!"

I cried out in pain as Chara's knife made a cut on my upper arm. Didn't dodge quickly enough.

 **"How would you know?"**

Her eyes took on a dangerous glint. I shook my head. I knew it what she wanted more than anything.

"Because killing everybody is not the way to bring _him_ back and you know it!"

Chara stiffened, her eyes filling with rage.

 **"How dare you!"**

She lunged at me once more. I dodged just in time, her knife slicing through empty air.

 **"Ugh, stay still!"**

I looked at her in disbelief. Did she really think I was just going to let myself die?

"Chara, stop this! Maybe we can figure something out. Find a way to bring him back!"

Chara's hand trembled, causing the knife to shake. I could see tears brimming in her eyes.

 **"Asriel is never coming back."**

She gripped the handle of the knife more firmly. I took a step closer, holding my arms out.

"I'm sure there's a way. Maybe Alphys can help."

That just seemed to make Chara even more angry.

 **"There is nothing you or I can do!"**

She threw her knife at me, which threw me off guard. Right before it impaled into my chest, everything went white. I could feel my left shoulder being shaken.

"My child, please wake up!"

I sat up slowly, blinking sleep out of my eyes. Was all of that real? When my eyes focused, I saw the frantic eyes of Toriel.

I yawned, signing hello. "What's up?" Toriel responded with pulling my hands in hers.

"I came in here and brought you a slice of pie. Then I saw you asleep, and you were so pale! You were breathing heavily. I thought something was wrong."

I slipped my fingers out of hers and looked up at her.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just feel like even more tired than before my nap." My hands felt sluggish as I moved them. She looked at me worriedly.

"Are you sure, my child?"

"Yes," I signed.

Toriel looked at me for a moment longer.

"Alright," She got up from my bed and headed to the bedroom door. "Your pie slice is on your desk, okay? Maybe that'll make you feel better."

I signed thank you to her, then she left. I swung my legs over the side of my bed used my arms for support to help push me off the bed. Pain shot up my right arm. Suddenly, I could feel a pulsing burning sensation and something wet and warm. I traced my left hand over the area. It came away a bright red. My eyes widened. _It was real,_ I thought. I was so glad Toriel didn't see this. I hastily made my way to the bathroom. I took off my sweater and examined my cut in the mirror. It didn't look too bad, but darn, it hurt! I cleaned the cut and bandaged it up. I wasn't sure what to do with the sweater. There was a rip in it from where Chara slashed me and blood was all over the right sleeve. I'll just have to put it somewhere where Toriel won't find it.


	9. Chapter 8

I had only gotten around two hours of sleep from when I "napped" so it was still light out. And I was once again bored.

The rest of the day went uneventful. Save for when Sans popped in to get my signature on something for the meeting he attended in my place. Hate to say it, but I'm getting used to his sudden appearances. That skeleton better be careful on when he decides to show, otherwise I'll be popping _him_.

I dreaded going to bed. Sleeping meant facing Chara again. I don't know if I could pull that off all night. I'd have to stay vigilant in not letting her hit me. For reasons I don't know, the wounds I'm receiving in that void are also appearing on my body in this world. I can't let anybody find out what's happening. They don't need to worry about me any more than they already do. I sighed, staring at the ceiling. _Don't fall asleep... Don't fall asleep... Don't fall..._ I chanted this mantra inside my head. I wanted to help Chara, but I still had to think of the others. I was DETERMINED to stay awake. However, the human body has its limits. Especially if said human body hasn't been getting good sleep in the first place. Before I knew it, my eyelids were drooping. I struggled to keep them open, but failed.

I opened my eyes to the darkness, alert. _Where is she_? I thought. My soul appeared in front of me.

 **"Behind you,"** A voice whispered menacingly.

Pain enveloped the right side of my body. I grimaced. Chara chuckled. Then I jerked my back forcefully. The back of my head made connection with Chara's skull. I heard a grunt and a thud followed. I turned around, clutching my side. My side burned and I now had an ear-splitting headache. Chara's form lay on the ground.

"Bet you weren't expecting _that_ ," I spat.

Tonight's fight hadn't lasted long. Barely a minute. But at a cost. I needed to wake up, or I would bleed out. How do I wake up though? Last time, it was Toriel who pulled me out of the void. I noticed that my soul was still there. An idea struck me. I willed the buttons to appear and they did. I hit the MERCY button and then hit the *Flee button.

I woke up with a gasp of pain and sat up. That worked? Whatever. Now I know what to do for future fights. I clutched my side and glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was around four am. I took off my sweatshirt and undershirt. The moonlight filtering into my bedroom was enough for me to get a decent look at my wound. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal if treated properly. I then remembered the slice of pie I hadn't finished yet. It was still sitting on my desk, half eaten. With great effort, I made my way over to the pie and took a few bites out of it. The familiar taste of butterscotch and cinnamon filled me with DETERMINATION. My HP was maxed out and my wound stopped bleeding. It didn't close completely though. I looked back to my bed. There was blood on the top sheet. I also had another ruined sweater. I pulled my phone out from my pocket and opened Dimension A, which was where the first blood stained sweater was stored. _Thanks for adding so many useful features to my phone, Alphys,_ I thought. I put the bed sheet, undershirt, and sweater in Dimension A.

My wound throbbed dully. I needed to clean and bandage it so it wouldn't get infected. I crept out into the hallway and dashed into the bathroom, locking it behind me. After turning the light on, I retrieved the first aid kit from underneath the sink and took out rubbing alcohol. I wrapped some toilet paper around my hand a few times before damping it with the alcohol. This is gonna sting, I thought. I pressed the alcohol soaked toilet paper onto my wound and gritted my teeth. Pain burned through me as the cut was cleaned. Once that was done, I held gauze over the area as I wrapped the bandage around my torso. The toilet paper I had used to clean the wound was blood stained, so I flushed it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. I cleaned up my mess then headed back to my room.

I turned the bedroom light on as to procure another undershirt and sweater. Just as I was about to pull the new sweater over my body, I remembered it was Sunday. Meaning we had church later this morning. I liked to go. It reminded me of the times before I had fallen. Toriel didn't mind. Attending church allowed me to clear my mind and remind me there was something bigger out there. Someone with my best interests at heart. It was around five am now, so I decided to dress for church instead of putting on my usual attire. I put on a simple lilac dress with a cream-colored shawl. That would cover the cut on my right arm. I decided to put on my makeup later. I had a few hours to wait before we left, anyways. Service didn't start until nine fifteen. I stayed in my room, staring at my ceiling for a little while in a daze.

A lot had happened in the last couple of days. Chara was plaguing my dreams with the intent to murder me. I wasn't even sure why the wounds I received in the void/my dreams were appearing in the real world. Was Chara's DETERMINATION powerful enough to exceed different dimensions? But she could only do so much, I suppose. She was without a soul, a body. An idea struck me. Maybe there was a way to give her one...


	10. Chapter 9

Service was over and I was freezing my tail off. I personally believe that churches enjoy making the building feel like the inside of a walk-in freezer. I pulled my shawl tighter around me, following behind Toriel and Asgore. When we made it outside, I tugged on Toriel's dress sleeve. She turned to me, a question in her eyes.

"What are we doing for lunch?" I signed.

"We're going to meet up with The Skele Bros at the mall. Once we get there, we'll decide which restaurant to go too."

I nodded. That was good with me. We got into the car and drove towards the mall. It took a little while of driving around in circles in the parking lot, but we finally found the skeletons' car. Thankfully, there was an open spot next to it. While we pulled in, I noticed Sans sitting on the hood and Papyrus yelling at him. Probably telling him to get off the car. I laughed to myself. Those two were something else. I opened my door and stepped out. Sans glanced towards me and hopped of the hood.

"hey, kiddo."

Sans winked at me. For once, his ever-present smile didn't harbor any malice towards me.

"HUMAN, WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU." Papyrus said excitedly.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked behind me to see Toriel and Asgore.

"What about us?" Asgore chuckled.

"OH, YEAH! YOU GUYS TOO. DO NOT FRET, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS DID NOT FORGET ABOUT THE KING AND HIS WIFE."

"Hey guys," I signed while laughing. "Where are we going to eat?"

"some italian place," Sans shrugged. "paps picked it out."

"Figures," I rolled my eyes.

Toriel cleared her throat.

"if we're done with tha greetings, may we move along? lead tha way, papyrus."

"THIS WAY,"

Papyrus was glowing with happiness. Probably excited about all the kinds of pasta the restaurant we're going to has. It took us a bit to get there as Papyrus got us lost, but we made it eventually. When a server came up to us to get us seated, their eyes widened as they realized their patrons were monsters. They spluttered a bit before leaving us standing there at the entrance. I frowned. I knew for a fact that this specific mall allowed monsters. What on earth was going on? The server came back with what looked like their manager. The manager surveyed our group and made a disgusted expression.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot dine here."

"Excuse me?" Toriel didn't look happy.

"It would unnerve our guests if they knew a group of monsters was in the facility with them. We can't have that." The manager took on a haughty attitude. "However, the young girl I see you have there may."

I glared at him, furious. This imbecile!

"You are aware that it is illegal to turn us away, right?" I signed to him. The manager gave a surprised look.

"What did she say?"

"she said," I turned back to look at Sans. He had a dangerous expression. His left eye was faintly glowing. "'You are aware that it is illegal to turn us away, right?'"

The manager took on a worried/guilty expression.

"My child," Toriel placed a hand on my back. "We do not have to eat here." With that statement, she looked up and gave a meaningful glare to the manager. I shook my head no. They will let us eat here. Besides this whole situation being totally wrong, I knew Papyrus really wanted to come here. I wasn't going to give up so easily.

"This mall allows monsters to patron here. You're not allowed to refuse us. That should be stated in your lease contract."

Sans repeated what I had signed. This manager! I know our rights, I've studied this. As the ambassador for monster kind, one should know these things.

"I-I..."

"I can call the owner of this mall and ask him about it if you don't believe me," I signed, whipping my phone out. The owner of the mall and I are friends to a certain level. I've met with him a few times at meetings.

This action confused the manager until Sans translated for him. He looked scared now. He was quiet for a few moments, a defeated expression on his face.

"F-Forgive me," He stuttered. "I-I was foolish to try and turn you all away. Today's meal will be on us. Follow me..."

We did as he asked and were soon seated. This should've made me happy. It was another small victory for monsters. But I was only saddened that this happened at all. Sans glanced in my direction and noticed my glum expression.

"chin up, kiddo," He began, elbowing my right arm. I flinched in pain as his bony arm made contact with my wound I had received two nights previous. Sans didn't finish whatever joke he was going to make to cheer me up. He instead turned to me fully, a wearing a worried look.

"buddy, 're ya okay?"

"I'm fine," I signed. The movement caused more pain to flare up. I clenched my teeth.

"don't ya lie to me. what's wrong, kid?"

"Nothing."

I turned away from him, crossing my arms. I felt something warm trickle down my arm. Well, shoot. Sans' eyes widened. He looked at Toriel and grinned.

"tori, we'll be right back. tha kid n' i have somethin' we need ta discuss."

Toriel looked mildly surprised, barely glancing our way.

"Alright, Sans. But don't take too long. The food will be here before soon."

And with that, Sans grabbed my arm and we teleported out of the restaurant.


	11. Chapter 10

We were back in the field of echo flowers. Sans let go of my arm.

"frisk, take off yer shawl," he demanded.

There was no point in refusing him. Casting my gaze downward, I took off the shawl. Remarkably, the shawl itself didn't have any blood on it. But you could see blood soaked through the bandage. Sans' eyes widened then his face grew sad. He gingerly unwrapped the bandage and tossed it aside. With a snap of his fingers, a first aid kit appeared. Perks of having magic I suppose. I continued to not look at him as he tended to my wound. I flinched when he cleaned it with an alcohol swab.

"sorry," He muttered.

I shook my head. It wasn't his fault that I was hurt. He's just trying to help me right now. When Sans finished, he was silent for a few moments.

"kid, who did this ta ya?"

I didn't say anything. I still wasn't looking at him. He placed his hand under my chin, lifting my head up to face him. I could see the pain in his eyes. Sans was hurting because I was. I'm such an idiot! How could I let this happen? My eyes looked over his shoulder, gaze focusing on an echo flower. I couldn't move my hands to sign anything to Sans. I would have to speak aloud.

"It was Chara." My voice was barely audible.

 **Sans' POV:**

My whole body went rigid, hand dropping from her face. Chara visits her dreams, too? The murderer was responsible for hurting Frisk?! _is this what Chara had meant when I'd last saw her?_ I thought.

"how did this happen? when?!" I growled.

Frisk's small frame began to tremble. She was silent for a bit, then she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"It happened two nights ago. I don't know how the wounds she's inflicted upon me in my nightmares transfer over to the real world." Her left hand caressed her bandaged arm, fingers running across the rough fabric.

"kid..."

I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say. Frisk was hurting. And there wasn't anything I could do to protect her from it. I was powerless. I clenched my teeth, then looked at her. She wasn't looking at me again. Her gaze seemed unfocused. I put my hand on her left shoulder. Her eyes snapped to mine, a whirlwind of emotions swirling in a sea of royal blue. My eyes softened.

"we'll discuss this more later, okay? we need ta get back ta tha others."

Frisk nodded and offered me a half smile. She put her shawl back on, making sure it covered her bandaged arm sufficiently. With that, we disappeared. A faded blue glow blurred around where we had just been.

We reappeared in our seats, greeted by the aroma of freshly made pasta. I glanced at Frisk to see she had pasted on a smile and acted as if nothing had happened. kiddo's a good actress, I thought. And it was all for our sakes. So, we wouldn't worry over her. It seems she never does anything for herself. Going to such great lengths to help us. She would die for us; Frisk's done it countless times before. s _he's also killed us_. The dark thought bubbled to the surface of my mind. I shook my head. That doesn't matter. I- Something hit the back of my skull. Papyrus had hit me with a breadstick.

"what gives, paps?" I gave him an annoyed look.

"YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN PART IN THE CONVERSATION AT ALL. AND YOUR FOOD IS BARELY TOUCHED. IS SOMETHING THE MATTER, BROTHER?"

Everyone at the table was looking at us. I grinned, chuckling.

"sorry, paps. jus' lost 'n my thoughts."

"YOU WERE DAY DREAMING, ADMIT IT. THAT IS SO LIKE YOU."

"what can i say," I shrugged. "i'll be takin' that now," I said, plucking the weapon Papyrus had used to smack me with and took a bite out of it. He stared at me for a moment. Then it registered in his skull what had just occurred.

"I WAS GOING TO EAT THAT MYSELF, NUMBSKULL!"

I rolled my eye sockets.

"there's a whole basket full of em in tha middle of tha table."

"BUT I WANTED THAT ONE SPECIFICALLY," Papyrus exclaimed.

Frisk, Toriel and Asgore started laughing. The easygoing banter continued on for the rest of the meal. During it, my gaze kept drifting over to Frisk every now and then. Her smile did not reach her eyes. Does it bother her that much that I know about Chara? Or is it something else...


	12. Chapter 11

The week seemed to drag on slowly. Nothing really happened until Chara had visited my dreams on Tuesday. She had managed to land another hit, this time on my cheek. Thankfully, the cut was small enough that a bandage covered it just fine. Toriel was concerned about it, but I told her it was just a scratch from Lesser Dog. The excuse I gave her was that I got him too excited and he pounced on me. I don't like lying to Toriel, but I can't let her know. There's no doubt that'll put her in danger and I don't want that.

I sighed, resting one hand on my cheek as I stared at my math lesson. _I hate math_ , I thought. Maybe I can get Toriel to let Alphys help me... It would be nice to see her again. I was going to visit her last week Friday, but you know. Sans had a different idea on how I would spend the rest of that day. I put my trigonometry book into my book bag and headed downstairs. I checked the kitchen and living room, but Toriel wasn't there. She must be out in the garden with Asgore. I made my way out the front door then going around back to the side of the house. Sure enough, my adoptive parents were tending to the flowers and vegetables. I walked up behind Toriel, who was hunched over the tomatoes. She failed to notice me so I cleared my throat. Toriel stopped what she was doing and stood up, turning to me.

"Hello, my child. It's a lovely surprise to see you out here in the garden. What brings you here?" The sun hit Toriel's brown eyes in such a way that made them seem to sparkle. I smiled at her.

"I was wondering if I could go over to Alphys and Undyne's place so Alphys could help me with my trig lesson," I signed.

Toriel's eyes held a bemused look.

"Do you mean, go over to their house and have Alphys do your lesson for you?"

I bit my lip guiltily.

"That was one time!" I signed, exasperated. "Please? It's been awhile since I've seen them, anyways." I gave Toriel puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, all right. But only as long as Alphys doesn't do the work for you."

I bobbed my head up and down, signing yes ma'am. Toriel smiled.

"Go along now, my child. And be home by six."

Her eyes told me all I needed to know about that last statement. Toriel still didn't quite trust me since last Friday. I didn't blame her. But I hope her mistrust doesn't last too long. I want her to be able to trust me.

" ** _Why would she want to trust someone who lies to her?"_**

My back stiffened.

"Is something wrong, my child?"

I wiped the surprised look off my face and smiled reassuringly to Toriel. I explained that I had merely gotten a sudden chill. With that I left the garden and headed to my car. I opened the door and slid into the front seat. I leaned forward, laying my head on the steering wheel, gripping the sides. What had happened back there?

 ** _"I happened."_**

I jerked, which put pressure onto the wheel, causing it to honk. Fruit! I hastily shoved the car keys into the ignition and started the car. I backed out of the driveway as quickly as I could and was out of there. I glanced at my rear-view mirror and saw a confused Asgore standing on the front porch in its reflection. _I've got some explaining to do when I get back,_ I thought with a sigh. I drove in silence for a few moments, pondering over what had happened. I gripped the wheel tighter. I knew who the voice belonged to.

 ** _"Took you long enough."_**

 _What are you doing inside my head, Chara?!_ I furrowed my brow, perturbed.

 ** _"I've always been here. How do you think I access your dreams?"_**

 _What?! Does this mean... Are... Are you the one who's been making me relive my Genocide run?_

 ** _"No, doll face. Your guilty conscience does that for me."_**

I bit my lip, going silent once more. I focused on the road and continued driving.

 ** _"What? You've nothing more to say?"_**

 _Kind of busy seeing as I'm driving and don't want to crash,_ I thought, annoyed. Chara didn't say anything more until I pulled into the front of Alphys' house.

 ** _"I bet you're wondering why I'm suddenly in your mind."_**

 _No,_ I thought sarcastically. _I totally wasn't wondering that._

Chara ignored me.

 ** _"I wasn't strong enough to do so at first. This is a recent development. So is entering your dreams. Though I could've began speaking to your mind a few months before today."_**

 _Then why only now?_ I asked warily.

 ** _"I want to bring Asriel back."_**


	13. Chapter 12

I blinked, surprised _. Really?_ I thought. _No threat or attempt on my life or-_

 ** _"Oh, hush, will you? Besides, I couldn't. Not even if I wanted to. I can only harm you in the void."_**

I made a face. Because that was SO reassuring. _I guess trig will have to wait_ , I mused dully. I unlocked the car door and stepped out. A breeze blew by, tussling my hair softly. Alphys wasn't going to like this. She wasn't going to like the idea I had in mind to get Asriel back either. But it was worth a shot. I walked up to the door of her house and knocked a pattern, humming along with it.

"Da, da, da, da, da," I paused.

 _Da, da_. The final two knocks answered mine. The door opened, revealing a yellow lizard like creature with oversized front teeth and glasses whilst wearing a white lab coat.

"Alphys!" I signed, beaming.

"F-Frisk!" Alphys stuttered, returning my smile. "It's b-been awhile since I l-last saw you. Come on in!"

"Gladly."

Alphys moved aside as I stepped inside the house. I looked around, slightly chuckling at the messy interior. Stacks of paper and anime related items were littered throughout the building.

"S-sorry about the clutter." Alphys played with her hands nervously. I signed to her that it was fine. We headed into her living room to find a fishiliar face sitting on the couch playing video games. Undyne looked up from what she was doing.

"Heya, punk!" She flashed pointy teeth at me before turning her attention back to the game. I chuckled slightly.

"H-hey, let's go into the kitchen, okay?"

"Sure thing," I signed.

We both knew Undyne didn't like being interrupted while she was gaming.

I followed Alphys into the kitchen, ignoring the death glare Undyne gave us as we tried to get past the TV screen as quickly as possible.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Golden flower, if you please."

Alphys sighed as she prepared the tea.

"Just had to h-have it rhyme, huh."

I shrugged, a smile playing on my lips. Alphys turned from the tea, letting it steep. She gave me a knowing look.

"Toriel called m-me earlier to tell me you were coming over to help you with your t-trig homework," Her gaze traveled over to my empty hands. "But you didn't bring anything in."

I scratched the back of my head guiltily.

"There was... A change of plans." I signed.

Alphys looked at me weirdly as she picked up the cups of tea, then motioning me over to the dining table.

"W-what's the change then?"

I circled the palm of my left hand with my right thumb for a bit before answering her.

"I had an unexpected... visitor."

Alphys' expression looked nervous, a questioned forming in her eyes. Can't back out now.

"Would it be possible for a being to live off half a soul? Maybe even a fourth of one?"

"I-I don't like w-where t-this is g-going..."

I gave Alphys a pleading look.

"Hear me out, okay?" I looked down. "I want to bring Asriel and Chara back. And I thought maybe I could share my soul..."

Alphys was quiet. I could see little beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow.

"Please..."

"I d-don't think that w-would be a g-good idea."

I knew I was putting Alphys in an uncomfortable position. She would have the wrath of Toriel and Sans to face if she decided to help me. Mostly Sans's.

"Just tell me what to do if you have any ideas," I signed. "They don't have to know you helped. I'll say it was all me."

I could see Alphys' resolve break.

"O-oh, all right. If it means t-that much to you."

I sighed in relief. Alphys' posture relaxed as her nervousness faded.

"L-let's go to my mini lab."

Her face took on a sort of excited expression now that she was in the clear. She led me out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. She opened the door to should have been a closet, but obviously wasn't. We walked in and I looked around. If the rest of her house was a mess, then her lab was a disaster zone. Papers, files and experiments were everywhere. Alphys didn't apologize about the mess this time. She just rummaged through the clutter looking for something. I awkwardly stood in the cleanest spot in the lab.

"Aha!"

Alphys pulled out a file, whilst wearing a triumphant expression. She turned to me, pushing her glasses up.

"I've actually been theorizing about this for a while now. I was experimenting with the theory back in the Underground. Except with monster souls. It didn't work very well, even when they were injected with determination, but a human soul is different. Stronger."

Alphys' stuttering goes away when she gets all sciencey. I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps it's because it's when she feels most confident.

"When we first moved up to the surface, I continued researching human souls, now that I had so much new knowledge available to me. Did you know identical twins share a soul?"

I hadn't. That's probably why multiple birth pregnancies were dangerous. So, this means humans can survive off half a soul...

 ** _"That's all that matters. As long as Asriel can live again."_**

 _But what about you Chara?_ I thought. _I want to see if a fourth of a soul will work as well._

"What about triplets, or quadruplets? Do they share souls as well?"

Alphys gave me an apologetic look.

"No, not generally. See, with triplets, if there's an egg that split into two fetuses, they'd share a soul, but the third baby would have a soul all to its own."

I looked up thoughtfully.

"But do you think it would still be possible for a being to live off a fourth of a soul?"

"W-well," Her stutter came back. "It's already r-risky when twins share half a s-soul. But a fourth? It's p-possible, I suppose. Seeing as human determination is s-so powerful. B-but isn't it just Chara and Asriel? You could possibly spilt your soul into thirds. There would b-be a higher chance of success."

"That's true," I signed. "But how would we do it? How would we split the soul?"

"Well..." Alphys looked away, silent.

I put my hand on her shoulder and signed her name. She sighed.

"I-it's going to hurt. _A lot_. You'll l-literally be tearing your soul apart."

My stomach lurched, face paling.

"I'll have to... grab it? Have my soul in my hands and tear a piece off?"

"Yes."

Alphys sucked a breath in and looked me in the eyes.

"Are you s-sure you want to do this, Frisk? You'll be making a h-huge sacrifice, and it might not even work. You might... You might die."

I didn't even hesitate in my reply as I looked back at her.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."


	14. Chapter 13

I bid Alphys farewell and left. When I got home, I headed straight up to my room, giving the excuse of not being hungry. Toriel gave me an odd look, but let it slide. I truly wasn't hungry. What I learned today saw to that. I was too apprehensive about everything to be able to eat.

After undressing down to my underwear, I flopped on my bed, face first into my pillow. With a sigh, I twisted onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I stretched while yawning before settling down, nestling my head into the pillow. A heavy, lethargic feeling overtook my body and I could feel my heartbeat.

"Asriel... Chara... Soul..." I mumbled.

I tried to fight my drowsiness, but lost the battle. I needed sleep. I hadn't been getting good rest and now that the threat of Chara attacking me was gone, I might have a peaceful night for once. Unless my nightmares came to terrorize me.

 ** _"I won't let that happen tonight."_**

I blinked slowly, surprised. Then I smiled.

 _I knew there was a good person inside of the hurting one._

 ** _"Don't make me take back my words. Go to sleep. You need to rest up so we can find Asriel tomorrow."_**

 _Right,_ was the last thing I thought before drifting off to the dimension of nothingness.

 _"...irth day to you!"_

 _"C-c'mon, Frisk. Make a-a wish!"_

 _"Tell us wha-at y-your wish is, we w-won't laugh."_

 _"Oh, fine. I s-suppose you're no-ot supposed to tell, a-anyways."_

 _"This way, Fri-isk!"_

 _"I co-ome here to hide a-away from the world. It's peacef-ful."_

 _"Look at a-all the flowers! The-y're so pr-retty. Like you."_

 _"-wish toda-ay would n-never end."_

 ** _" D..."_**

I felt light dance across my eyes. I scrunched my face, slowly sitting up. My mind was hazy. The dreams I had last night... They were already fading. But I could tell they were from happier times. Long before I had fallen into the Underground. Before what hap- _No_ , I thought to myself sternly. That's in the past now. No need to think about it. I smiled. For once, I felt rested. _Thank you, Chara_ , I thought.

 ** _"Yeah, well... It's the least I could do. Considering everything. But don't get used to it, partner."_**

If Chara had been right in front of me, I swear she would've been sticking their tongue out and winking at me as she said that.

A thought hit me. What time is it? I glanced at the clock. It read eight o three am. _Knock, knock!_ I froze. A voice belonging to a certain skeleton came through the door.

"ya alive, kiddo? 'cos it sure seems yer sleepin' like tha dead."

It's Friday.

 _Shiitake mushrooms!_

I glanced at the sweater lying on the floor where I had left if from the night previous.

"tori sent me up here with some breakfast. i'm comin' in,"

Right as he said those words, I snatched the sweater and pulled it over my body. By the tome the door was open all the way, I had shoved my legs up into the sweater as to hide the fact I wasn't wearing pants.

"got some bacon and eggs fer-"

Sans stopped mid-sentence as he took in the sight before him. I was huddled into a ball of sweater, arms hugging my knees to my chest.

"H-hey, Sans," I squeaked out. He gave me a puzzled look.

"uh, bud, ya need a lil help there?"

I shook my head vigorously. _This is just fruitastic_ , I thought.

"Just leave the food on the desk, okay?" My voice strained.

"are ya okay?"

Concern was etched onto the skeleton's face. He took a couple of paces forward, turning to place the plate on my desk before continuing towards me. I nodded my head, desperate for him not to come any closer.

"Sans, seriously, I'm good. You can go now. Thank you for bringing the food."

A hurt expression flitted across his face for a brief second before his gaze hardened. Crumbs. Okay, better get this over with.

"I'mnotwearinganypantssowouldyoupleaseleave?"

My words came out rushed and jumbled together. My face was crimson. I saw realization hit the skeleton before a bright cyan blush settled into his cheek bones.

"ooooh, god. i'm s-so sorry. i'll g-go." Sans stuttered as he quickly backed out of my room, shutting the door behind him with a slam. I could hear Chara's laughter ringing in my head. _That was NOT funny!_ I thought angrily.

 **Sans's POV:**

I headed down the stairs, face aflame. I went back into the dining room, taking my place at the dining table. Toriel and Papyrus looked up at me, pausing their conversation.

"SANS, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? IS THE HUMAN COMING DOWN?"

The image of Frisk all huddled up in her sweater flashed through my mind again. I could feel my cheek bones burning.

"BROTHER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus had a concerned expression on his facial bones.

"i-i'm fine," I mumbled. "human'll be down when she's dressed..." I trailed off as I realized what I just said.

"Sans!" Toriel screeched, suddenly standing up. Papyrus looked at Toriel weirdly.

"WHAT IS WRONG, LADY TORIEL? SANS MERELY SAID THE HUMAN, ER, FRISK, WILL BE DOWN ONCE SHE HAS DRESSED HER HERSELF-" Papyrus stopped. What I had said dawned on him.

"OH, MY GOODNESS, SANS!"

"w-wait a second pap, tori. i didn't see nuthun, i swear! and it was an accident. tori, please dun kill me."

Right at this moment, Frisk was standing in the doorway, her face alight. She tilted her head forward as to let her bangs hide her face.

"Guys," she signed with one hand as the other contained the place of food I'd brought up just earlier. "Calm down. Nothing happened."

I saw the flame in Toriel's eyes extinguish. She looked at me guiltily.

"I apologize, Sans. I should've known you would never do something like that."

"s'okay, tori," I mumbled. I stood up and motioned to Paps. "i believe it's 'bout time we make like wind 'n blow outta here." My brother gave me an exasperated look before agreeing with me.

"MY BROTHER IS CORRECT, WE MUST GO ATTEND TO SOME BUSINESS."

"Oh, all right. Until next time, boys."

I glanced at Frisk. She was still standing in the doorway.

"later, kiddo,"

She waved at me, her expression unreadable.

y _ou really screwed up this time, bonehead_ , I thought.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: That last chapter though. Ah, comic relief chapters. My second favorite to write. x'D**  
-

I finished my breakfast in silence. The morning's event replayed in my mind. Mercifully, Toriel didn't say anything after the skeleton brothers left. She also didn't object when I told her I was going for a drive to clear my head. I was a bit confused.

"You're okay with that?" I signed. "Usually you put up a fight and tell me to go do my schoolwork."

Toriel gave me a sad smile.

"My child... You're growing up. I need to let you do that."

With that, she left the room. I stood there for a few moments, trying to process what just happened. _Where did over protective goat mother go?!_ I thought, bewildered.

 ** _"Never mind that. The whole purpose of telling her we were going out was to find Asriel."_**

 _Right, you're right. Let's go._ But the little scene still nagged at the back of my mind. I shook my head dismissively. I needed to focus. I grabbed my car keys as I headed out of the house. Shutting the door behind me, I made sure to lock it. I walked over to the car and got in.

 ** _"Do you have an idea of where he might be?"_** I could hear the anxiousness in Chara's voice. It matched my own. **** _Don't worry_ , I thought. _He's probably where I last saw him. At the beginning..._

The memory came rushing back at me. I could suddenly feel the warmth of his fur from when he hugged me. I remembered the defeated look on his face before he turned away to stare at the patch of golden flowers I had fallen on at the beginning of my journey. I felt my throat tighten. I hadn't wanted to leave him there. But he refused to come with me. I couldn't save him. I-

 ** _"You'll be saving him now,"_** Chara cut off my thoughts. I smiled weakly. **_"However, if we don't get on the road, we won't reach Mt. Ebott until nightfall. Let's roll, partner."_**

 _It's not that far,_ I thought as I put the key in the ignition. As I was doing so, I hummed "Roll, roll, cookie roll!" inside my head.

 ** _"You did not..."_**

 _I so did._ I grinned and pulled out of the drive way. For the rest of the trip, I hummed all the different jingles I had picked up, much to Chara's dismay.

 ** _"Why must you torture me?"_**

 _Because I love you!_

 ** _"If you loved me you would stop."_**

 _Never._

This continued on back and forth until I had run out of jingles. Shortly after, the mountain came into view. The jovial mood dissipated within seconds. I had wondered why most of the monsters stayed rather close to Mt. Ebott. It was their prison. You would've thought they would want to move as far away as possible.

 ** _"For a long time it was also their home."_**

"True..." My gaze darkened as I pulled into the parking lot of the mountain trail. The sun had barely begun its descent down the sky. After stepping out of the car, I took a deep breath. I never imagined I would be walking this path ever again. I continued to the entrance of the trail, taking in the scenery around me.

Suddenly, my surroundings changed. My vision was now filled with varieties of beige and brown, the images slightly blurred. I felt my body still moving, but the steps seemed smaller. Now that I thought about it, everything was taller than me. I stepped on a pile of dry leaves. The season had changed too. Instead of early summer, it was now early fall. Right before all the plant life starts to fade away. I kept on going forward. My body suddenly aching, feeling covered in scratches and bruises.

 _"Why was I even born?"_

I recoiled at the thought. This isn't me. What is going on? I felt my feet trudge on, my body growing heavier and heavier.

 _"Nobody wants me. Nobody loves me. The only person who might've is gone. And it's all my fault."_

 _No... This is me,_ I realized. I was reliving that day. That fateful, dreadful day. I was at the edge of the cliff now. The one I had fallen over all those years ago. There should be a staircase here. One had magically appeared after the barrier was shattered.

 _"It's so dark... I can't see the bottom. Maybe... Maybe there's a way to end all of this."_

 _"No, don't!"_ I screamed at my younger self. They didn't listen. We took a step forward and... Nothing. My vision suddenly cleared, colour returning. Instead of pitching forward to fall, I had stepped down a step.

 ** _"FRISK!"_** Chara's voiced boomed into my mind, making my ears ring.

 _Whoa, whoa,_ I thought. _Yell any louder and I'll go deaf._

 ** _"Where did you go? I couldn't access your mind."_**

 _Erm, I'm not quite sure. Why? Were you worried about me?_ I smiled slyly.

 ** _"As if. I just need you to get Asriel back."_**

 _Putting back the tough act on, huh._

 ** _"..."_**

I shook off what had happened just a few moments ago and descended the stairs leading into The Underground. At the bottom lied a patch of golden flowers. The same flowers that had saved my life when I had fallen. A little way beyond the flowers stood a larger golden flower. Flowey. I stepped onto the flower patch, the action causing the flowers to rustle. Flowey stiffened and began to turn around. Shock was written in the flower's "face", but it wasn't because I was there. In fact, he was completely ignoring that fact that I was there. He wasn't looking at me. I glanced to my right, where he was staring, and gasped. There stood Chara, her form flickering sporadically, as if the image would give out in any moment.

"C-Chara?" Flowey's voice sounded breathless. "What are you doing here? I thought I would never see you again!" He could barely contain his joy.

 ** _"Asriel..."_** Chara smiled. **_"I can't maintain this for very long. And hopefully, I won't have to."_**

Flowey's face fell before his expression turned hard.

"I'm not Asriel. Asriel is gone," He said, bitterness lacing his voice.

 ** _"Maybe not..."_** Chara turned to me. **_"I'll let you explain_**."

Flowey turned to me, finally noticing my presence.

"What is she talking about?"

I smiled hesitantly.

"I'm going to share my soul with you two." I signed.

Flowey's face twisted in confusion, then took on a demonic like expression.

"YOU IDIOT. THAT'S NEVER GOING TO WORK. WHY EVEN TRY?"

 ** _"Asriel..."_** Chara spoke softly.

"MY NAME IS NOT ASRIEL! STOP CALLING ME THAT."

 ** _"Asriel, give it a chance. For m-."_** Chara's voice cut off as her image disappeared. Flowey's eye widened.

"No, Chara! Chara, come back! D-don't leave me again..." Flowey bowed his head, stem shaking. Abruptly, he looked up at me, fury in his eyes. He roared, "BRING HER BACK!" Suddenly, several white pellets were surrounding me.

"Flowey," I signed frantically. "Calm down! Be rational!"

The fire dimmed from his eyes, pellets dissipating. He hunched over, defeated.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

A few moments of silence passed by.

"Say something."

I walked up to Flowey. I was going to put my hand on his shoulder, but he doesn't exactly have one right now.

"Flowey," I began, deciding to speak to get his attention. His gaze snapped up to mine, eyes cautious. "I have to bring you back, make you become Asriel again, before I can bring Chara back."

"Why won't you bring Chara back first?!"

I looked to the side, making a face. "She won't let me save her until I save you." Turning back to him I said, "Will you give this a shot?"

Flowey gave me dubious look. I could see he was still hesitant about it. Since we're back in the Underground, I wondered if I was able to do some of the same things I could back then... I swiped to the left with my right hand and my stats screen came up. _0 EXP 0 LV_. I smiled wanly as memories bubbled back up.

"What are you doing?" Flowey gave me an odd look.

I ignored him and went over to the items screen, finger hovering over the soul option. _I hope this works,_ I thought. I tapped on it and suddenly the room went black. We were in the void. Flowey was bewildered.

"How are we here?!"

He looked at me, then his gaze shifted to my soul. It was a deep red colour, covered in cracks and pulsating to a rhythmic beat. Flowey's mouth gaped a little.

"What happened to your soul?"

I smiled sadly.

"It doesn't matter," I switched back to signing. Talking had taken a toll on me and I would need all the strength I had to do what I was planning. I positioned my hands to tear away a piece of this. _This is going to hurt_ , I mused. _A lot._

"What are you doing?!"

I ignored him, focusing on the task before me. I made a small tear. I gasped in pain, I could feel blood rushing in my ears.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD KILL YOURSELF."

"Worth it," I gritted out.

I continued to tear the first piece off. White, hot pain flashed through my entire being. I coughed, some blood spewing out. I could sense Chara behind me.

 ** _"You can do it,"_** she whispered. **_"Stay_** **DETERMINED** ** _."_**

I tore the piece of my soul with one final pull. I cried out as my knees buckled. Vision blurry, I examined the piece of my soul with disinterest. I shook my head to clear it. It was about a third of my soul. Maybe a little over. Surprisingly, when the fragment had split, all the cracks disappeared.

"Flowey," I signed. "Take it." Flowey extended a trembling leaf towards me. The moment he touched the soul fragment, he absorbed it. His form disappeared in a burst of light. When the light faded, a familiar goat boy stood in the flower's place.

"F-Frisk?" Asriel was still shaking.

 ** _"You did it!"_**

 _Yes,_ I thought tiredly. _Now for you._

 ** _"What? Frisk, can you even handle that again?"_**

Asriel grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look at him.

"F-Frisk, don't do t-that again!" He sobbed. "I don't want you t-too. Chara wouldn't either!"

"That's not really your choice at this point," I gasped. "I failed to save you two before. I'm not doing it again." I brushed Asriel's hand off my shoulder. I slowly stood up, knees shaking. I was already this far into it. I wasn't going to stop.

I was filled with **_DETERMINATION._**

I positioned my hands once again. I wasn't going to do it little by little this time. I would treat it like a band-aid. I ripped the second piece with all the force I could muster. Blinding pain enveloped my body.

Then I felt nothing.


	16. Chapter 15

**Sans's POV:**

The breeze blew lazily through the echo flowers, causing them to rustle around me. _Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt._ I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. _Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt._ With an annoyed sigh, I dug out the cellular device. _who would be calling me at this time of day?_ I thought. As far as I knew, I didn't have any plans. Unless Papyrus needed me to accompany him and Undyne on an "outing" as he so calls it. I dunno why he doesn't just admit it already. Shaking my head, I sat up, flipping the phone open, and put it up to my ear, not bothering to check caller ID.

"he-" I was cut off abruptly.

"SANS!" A familiar voice boomed through the speaker, sounding broken and scared.

"tori?" I replied, confused.

"Sans, I-I..." Toriel was sobbing on the other end.

"whoa, hold up. what's goin' on?"

"I can't lose another one... I can't, I can't... I just c-can't! Sans, please! I need you to come to the local hospital."

I felt my nonexistent stomach drop, body turning rigid. It couldn't be! A thousand possibilities flashed through my skull as my left eye glowed briefly.

"tori, i'll be there as fast as I can."

Not giving her a chance to reply, I shut the phone and shoved it back into my pocket. I leaped to my feet and with a snap of my fingers, I was at the hospital doors _. now I'm kind of glad Papyrus made me volunteer here with him._ I thought back to the experience and how much I had loathed it. I had planned a whole day of do nothing. The usual. But anything to make my brother happy. As I walked in the all too familiar hospital smell hit my nasal aperture. My face scrunched up as I eyed the waiting room. My soul was pounding, but I needed to at least act calm. I located the reception desk, where a very bored looking nurse sat doing paperwork. They didn't notice me when I walked up to them so I cleared my throat.

"Name?" They asked dully, not even bothering to look up. They acted as if this were merely a mundane task.

"frisk dreemurr."

That got the nurse's attention.

"The monster ambassador princess?"

I rolled my eye orbs at the question.

"that would be tha one. couldja hurry it up a bit? her mother called me earlier n' it seemed real urgent seeing as she's at tha _hospital_." This nurse was starting to irk me. I needed to know if Frisk was okay and they were NOT helping.

"R-Right, sorry." The nurse's fingers flew across the keyboard. I watched them anxiously. Their eyes lit up as they located where Frisk was, but they quickly dimmed, lips twisting into a frown. "She's in the intensive care ward on the fifth floor in room 509. Her file doesn't indicate what's wrong though. It's possible they don't know. I ca-"

"thank ya fer tha help," I said, cutting her off. I spun away from the desk and headed over towards the elevator. Right after I hit the up bottom I heard the nurse stand.

"Wait, sir! You can't go up there! Only family is allowed."

I glanced back at them, left eye glowing.

"i _am_ family. and i'm not about ta let some human like yerself prevent me from seeing her!" I spat out the words more harshly than I had intended. Fear grew in their eyes and they backed down.

"S-sorry sir, I shouldn't have assumed..."

I ignored the nurse, turning to the elevator as it dinged and the doors opened. I stepped inside and hit the level five button as well as spamming the close door button. _c'mon, go faster!_ I thought. I had no idea what had happened to Frisk and it was killing me. I paced the elevator as it traveled upwards. It stopped once at floor four, but one look at me prevented anyone from getting on. I finally reached the fifth floor and as soon as I was out, I bolted down the hallway, looking for Frisk's room. It didn't take me very long. I burst through the door and a very unpleasant scene greeted my eye sockets. Frisk was in the middle of the room on a hospital bed. Tubes were protruding from her mouth, nostrils, and arm. Her form lay broken and small, breathing heavy and laboured. I walked up to her slowly, gently taking her hand. It was so cold... My other hand clenched tightly. _how did this happen?_ My train of thought was lost when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I glanced away from Frisk to see Asgore. His expression was grim. The sound of hiccups and crying caught my attention. I looked past Asgore to see there were two other people, a human and monster who were both wearing yellow and green striped sweaters. They looked to be around Frisk's age. The two were trying to console a distraught Toriel in the back corner. Asgore followed me as I walked over to the little group and placed my hand on the goat mother's shoulder.

"tori?"

Toriel looked at me with red, watery eyes.

"Oh, Sans! Frisk won't wake up! I don't know what to do." Asgore went to embrace her. She buried her face into his shoulder. I glanced at the other two, focusing on the human. Shock and then rage seized me as I recognized who it was.

"chara! i shoulda known it had somethin' ta do with ya!" I growled, grabbing Chara by her sweater's neckline.

"Sans, no! It's not her fault!" The other young monster tried to pull me away from Chara. My gaze snapped to him and I realized he looked like a smaller version of Asgore and Toriel put together. I dropped Chara and took a step back.

"what is goin' on?!"


	17. Chapter 16

It hurts. Everything hurts. Am I dying? Is this what dying feels like? I feel like I'm dying. And what's that noise? Oh, frijoles, it hurts. Ugh, and that noise. Who's shouting? It kind of sounds like... Sans? And I think Toriel too. What happened? Where am I? I seemed to be in the void.

 ** _"Frisk?"_** An all so familiar voice penetrated the darkness.

 _Chara?_ She's alive!

 ** _"This still works, thank heavens."_**

 _What's going on?_

 ** _"You split your soul into thirds, remember?"_**

 _Oh... Right. Wait, how are you still talking in my mind then?_

 ** _"Perhaps it's because we're sharing a soul."_**

 _What about Asriel then?_

 ** _"I don't know."_**

 _..._

 _" **How are you feeling, partner?"**_

 _Everything hurts. A lot._

 ** _"I would imagine so."_** I smiled grimly at that comment.

 _I can hear a lot of noise, it's making my head throb. Who's yelling?_

 ** _"Smiley trash bag is losing it."_** Of course, he is.

 _Are you okay?_

 ** _"Well, I'm able to converse with you while he's flipping a switch, so what does that tell you? Don't worry about me, Toriel wouldn't let him lay one phalange on me."_** I laughed at that a little, but quickly grew solemn.

 _How is she?_

 ** _"Not good. She's worried about you, Frisk."_**

 _..._

 ** _"If you would wake up, I'm sure that would be a tremendous help to the situation."_**

 _That's not as easy as it sounds. My soul..._ My soul was damaged beyond repair.

 ** _"Frisk, I had meant it when I said saving Azzie was enough."_**

 _It wasn't enough for me. I wasn't going to leave you behind. I already failed once._ I wasn't going to do it again.

 ** _"And look where it has gotten you! You are on the brink of death; your mother is broken and everyone else that loves and cares for you is in pain. And for what? A homicidal flower and a psychotic freak?"_**

 _Flowey and Asriel are_ NOT _the same person. You know that._

 ** _"And me? If anyone deserves to die, I'm the one."_**

 _You already did that._

 ** _"Yes, and then I tried to take everyone else with me."_**

 _You were hurting, Chara._

 ** _"I killed everyone, through you."_**

 _Everyone deserves another chance._ Everyone except me.

 ** _"..."_**

 _I didn't fall into the Underground for happy reasons, Chara. You've seen my mind, my memories. You know. I came to die. And... and so did you._

 ** _"But we didn't."_**

 _No, we did not. You didn't, at least not right away._

 ** _"Neither did you. But you came back. If you wanted to die so badly, why did you come back?"_**

 _Hold on, how have you been managing a conversation with me when all heck is breaking loose?_ I attempted to change the subject, not wanting to discuss it much further.

 ** _"Magic. Now, answer my question."_**

 _You've seen my memories._

 ** _"That doesn't mean I know."_**

 _...I became curious. I didn't want to hurt anyone, so I just kept coming back until I was able to move on. I learned the plight of the monsters and thought maybe I could save them. I grew to care for all of them, and that pushed me forward. I had to break the monsters free, to save them. The first time around, I thought I had. But I had failed. Failed to save you and Asriel. I had once again failed to save the one that mattered to me._ At the time, _she_ had been the only one that mattered. And I had failed, oh I failed.

 ** _"Frisk..."_**

 _When I did the Genocide run, I was blinded by my failure. You convinced me it was the only way... So, I complied. And again, I failed. To what cost? The life of everyone I loved. This time... This time I didn't fail. I saved the monsters, and I saved you and Azzie, too. If I died now, I wouldn't care. I've made it up to her._ _Plus, dying would only accomplish what I had originally planned in the first place._ Then I would be able to be with her again.

 ** _"You may not care, but everyone else does! And I'm sure she wouldn't want you to die either."_**

 _After everything I put them through? I think it's better off I don't make it. Even if they don't remember, well, Sans does, but I guess my passing will be his vengeance. Everyone's free, everyone's been saved. It doesn't matter anymore._ Nothing does.

 ** _"You're such a hypocrite! What about YOUR second chance? What about the people who love and care for YOU? Toriel, Papyrus and the others? Sans, even."_** I could tell Chara was getting fed up with me. I don't blame her, I am too.

 _My being here just hurts everyone. They'll learn to live their happy ending without me._

 ** _"It was you who enabled them to have said happy ending in the first place! Dying now, don't you think that'll take a piece of that away? They would rather still be trapped in the Underground with you than live on the surface with you gone."_**

 _...How do you know that?_

 ** _"Are you serious right now?! You're in denial. You know what I'm saying is true. Don't ignore me just to make it easier on you to let go of everything."_**

 _..._

 ** _"To answer your question from earlier, everything has settled down. We've explained it to Sans. Though he's still pretty ticked off. Now, listen, Frisk. Pause for a moment and listen."_**

I grew quiet and tried to hone in on the noise from outside the void.

 _"Oh, my child. Won't you come back to me? I couldn't bear it if I lost you."_

Toriel... I'm so sorry.

 _"HUMAN,"_

Papyrus was there, too?

 _"EVERYONE IS WORRIED ABOUT YOU. PLEASE WAKE UP. OR... OR... WE AREN'T FRIENDS ANYMORE! AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE MY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI. I... HUMAN, PLEASE. I BELIEVE IN YOU, THAT YOU CAN DO IT. COME BACK."_

Oh, Pappy...

 _"Frisk... Don't give up now. Stay **DETERMINED**."_

I smiled weakly as I heard that. The same words Asgore had spoken to me every time I died and was at the _CONTINUE_ or _RESET_ screen.

 _"Hey, punk!"_

Undyne?

 _"Don't you go dying on me, y'hear? As your bestie, you don't have my permission!"_

I laughed slightly at that.

 _"F-Frisk?"_

The stutter told me it was Alphys. Still, I had to strain my ears to make out what she was saying. I guess that's because she's whispering.

 _"I-I'm sorry. I s-should've never t-told you..."_

Oh, Alphy, it's not your fault. I'm the one who decided to do it...

 _"frisk?"_

It was Sans.

 _"kid? please, wake up. come back. oh, god, come back."_

I'm sorry.

 _"look, lets_ froggit _everything that happened, okay?"_

His weak attempt of a pun saddened me. He was trying so hard...

 _"jus'… jus' come back ta me, sweet pea. i... i love ya. we all do."_

I was silent, stunned.

 ** _"You've got a lot of people here that care for you, partner. Don't do this. Come back."_**

My resolve broke.

 _I... I... Okay. Okay. Alright. You're right. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry._

 ** _"Say that when you wake up."_**

I laughed shakily. All the love coming from everyone... I could feel it. It gave me **_DETERMINATION._** The knowledge that there were people who cared if I died, I let that thought sink in, embracing it rather than pushing it away. Chara's right. I think... I think that she would want me to live, just as much as the others do.

I'm sorry, I thought with a sad smile. I almost failed you once again.

 ** _I t ' , . . N o w , . ' G._**

Before I could react, my eyes flew open. I gasped and sat up abruptly, bright hospital lights blinding me momentarily. Pain engulfed my body once again. _It's good to be alive,_ I thought dryly.

"FRISK!"


	18. Chapter 17

After being assailed with many hugs and several "don't ever do this again", a nurse came in and shooed everyone out, declaring visiting hours over. Toriel took my hand before leaving.

"Be good, my child."

Toriel planted a kiss atop my head, promising to bring a slice of her famous butterscotch pie upon her return. I pasted a smile on my face, letting out a deep sigh once she had left. The nurse gave me a knowing smile.

"Mothers, am I right?"

"Yeah," I said aloud, giving them a weak shrug. I doubted they knew sign language, it was better to speak.

"Alright, sweetheart. I'm just going to check your vitals and then let you get some rest. How's that sound?"

I shrugged once again. Sleep sounded like a good idea. The nurse took my temperature, listened to my heartbeat and checked my blood pressure amidst other things while making idle chit chat. They had a smile planted firmly on the face. This was meant to reassure me and make me feel better I suspected.

"It's okay," I said.

The nurse stopped putting away the medical instruments.

"What?"

"No need to pretend around me." I locked eye contact with them for several seconds before they looked away, smiling wanly.

"That's a first,"

"Everything has to begin somewhere." I stared out the window, the day's events weighing me down.

"Thanks, Hun."

I could tell their weariness almost matched my own. The nurse left my room without another word. I turned away from the window, staring straight ahead at the wall before me. There was a picture hanging there. A splash of colour to break up the dull whiteness. My eyelids slid closed slowly, the image of a blue flower blurring into my mind.

My eyes fluttered open, protesting at the bright florescent lights. Sitting up, I examined my surroundings. Something was different. I spotted a tray of food to my left. Grabbing it, I carefully maneuvered it from the bedside table to my bed. Didn't want to spill the orange juice. I propped the tray of what was intended to be my breakfast on my lap. A very unappetizing looking bowl of mush graced my visual sensors. Taking the spoon, I scooped up some of glop and put it in my mouth. I spit it out immediately, the feeling to hurl building up immensely. It tasted disgusting and the texture was grainy and just, no. I grabbed the orange juice glass and downed it. _Never again_ , I thought, shuddering. I pushed away the unappealing sight, hoping Toriel would soon arrive with the promised piece of pie. How did people survive here?

Suddenly, I was aware of immense pressure on my bladder. The last thing I wanted was to have an accident. I'm not five anymore. I pulled the blankets off me and swung my legs to the side of the bed. Standing up, I took a few steps before pitching forward, legs giving out. I fell with a crash, pain radiating from my left wrist where the IV needle had once been. My head throbbed from the sudden impact. The IV stand was on the floor, lying next to me. I staggered to my feet, using the bed for support. _Probably not the smartest of moves,_ I mused. _It's not all that surprising I'm weak after everything that's happened._ Taking it slow, I bent over to pick up the IV stand. I glanced at my left wrist again. There was a small trickle of blood running down my arm. Before I did anything else, the door burst open, revealing a doctor and a different nurse than the one who had attended to me yesterday.

"Ms Dremmurr?! We heard a crash, are you all right?"

I cracked a smile at the doctor.

"I'm fine. Just took a little spill." I signed this in hopes of maybe the doctor knowing sign language. Then I wouldn't have to talk. The dumbfounded expression on their face told me otherwise. I repeated myself, this time aloud.

"What were you doing out of bed?" The nurse stressed. "It hasn't even been a full twenty-four hours since your accident!"

Accident? Just what did Chara and Asriel tell them what happened?

I shrugged. "Needed to relieve myself."

The doctor shook their head in disbelief.

"You could have pressed the nurse call button. Nurse Martinez would have brought you a bed pan."

I made a face at that. There was no way I was going to use one of those.

"I would crawl to the bathroom before I did that."

They both gave me an exasperated look. Nurse Martinez sighed. I gave them another shrug, a smile playing on my lips.

"You wouldn't want to use it either."

The doctor cleared their throat, interrupting our short-lived banter.

"Well, since you're already up, go ahead and go to the bathroom. We'll hook you back up to the IV and check your vitals when you come back."

I simply nodded. My throat was beginning to hurt. I wasn't accustomed to so much talking. And I had been doing quite a bit of it the past week. With slow steps, I made my way past the nurse and doctor and headed into the bathroom. After I closed the door behind me, I flicked the light switch on. The bathroom was tiny, barely fitting a toilet and sink. When I was done, I washed my hands, staring dully as the water turned pinkish for a few seconds from the blood on my arm. They were right. I shouldn't be doing so much, as little as it was. I was already very tired and using a bed pan was becoming slightly appealing. I dried my hands and exited the bathroom. I almost fell again, but Nurse Martinez caught me. They didn't say anything though. Just helped me to the bed.

"You know, for someone who fell from a tree and landed on a rock, hitting your head quite hard, you're doing remarkably well." Nurse Martinez commented.

 _So that's the story Chara and Asriel came up with. Better play along,_ I thought.

"My pounding headache and sudden fatigue says otherwise." The headache was from my earlier fall though. Not from when my soul was ripped into thirds.

"Those are common symptoms for head trauma." The doctor said as they came over with a clipboard in hand. "Nurse Martinez, why don't you take Ms Dreemurr's rather untouched food tray away? I can take it from here."

Nurse Martinez grabbed the tray, nodding their head.

"Of course, Doctor Powell. If you'll excuse me."

The nurse left, an annoyed expression on their face.

"Why did you send them away?" I asked.

Doctor Powell placed the stethoscope around their neck and into their ears, instructing me to sit up straight and take a deep breath in.

"They love to gossip too much. Breathe in again."

I did as they said, worry beginning to gnaw at my insides. Did the doctor know something? They spoke again as they put the stethoscope around their neck.

"It's obvious your body had experienced major stress before your friends brought you in, and there was a bump on your head. However, that didn't explain why parts of your soul were missing."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I gripped the edge of the bed, eyeing the doctor suspiciously.

"What's with that look, Ms Dreemurr? Science has advanced quite a bit thanks to your monster friend, Doctor Alphys. She built a machine that allows us to examine souls— human and monster alike." They wrapped my left wrist with a bandage to cover the wound the IV had left when it ripped out from it. The doctor then inserted the IV needle into my right wrist. I flinched slightly.

"I'm not going to pry, rest your fears," Doctor Powell gave me a curious look. "I would imagine there is a good reason your soul is this way. It's none of my business anyways."

I gave them a surprised look.

"I don't believe you."

They laughed heartily.

"If I'm being honest, I would love to study your soul and ask you more questions about what happened, however I don't think that's in my best interest."

The doctor winked at me before standing up.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," They walked towards the door, but stopped and turned their head back at me. "Oh, before I forget, someone brought you some flowers. They're to your right." With that Doctor Powell left.

 _I need to be careful around them_ , I thought uneasily. Then I looked to my right and just like they said, a vase of flowers was there. Why hadn't I noticed the flowers before? I thought. The vase that held them was black. This was a stark contrast to the white blooms. I had no idea what kind they were, but the flowers were beautiful. A card was attached to the vase. Curious, I lifted the card off, peeling the tape away from the card. When I opened it, my blood ran cold.

 _"Your days are numbered, monster-lover."_


	19. Chapter 18

_Nosy nurse, super suspicious doctor and now this?!_ I thought, panicked. I would have to be more careful from this moment on. I hid the card under my pillow. No one needed to know about this. They would freak out and worry about me even more. I sighed deeply and leaned back into the pillows. I stared at the wall in front of me again, the blue flower picture soothing my anxiety. With the adrenaline rush gone, the fatigue I had been feeling earlier hit me with full force. It was barely morning and I was already worn out. _Nothing a nap can't fix_ , I mused. _Argh, I'm tired of sleeping. But I need it..._ My annoyance slipped away as my eyes drooped close once more.

The scent of butterscotch aroused me from my slumber. When I opened my eyes, I felt my lashes brush against paper. Confused, I blew at it with a puff of air. The piece of paper floated up before gently falling back down. I pulled the piece of paper off of my face and sat up to examine it better. Toriel had taped a note to my face. _That's one way to make sure I see it,_ I mused, giggling. It read:

 _Dear Beloved One,_

 _You were not awoken when I arrived so I decided to leave a note for you. I brought you a change of clothes and a piece of the pie you love so much. Enjoy, my child. I hope you are doing well. I'll visit again tomorrow. Papyrus and Sans will visit later today so you won't be bonely. ;D_

 _Love,_

 _Toriel_

Smiling, I looked to the left and saw the clothes. Toriel had brought me underwear, a bra, and a pastel pink dress. I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue. She was always trying to get me to wear that colour even though she knows I don't particularly like it. After pushing the covers back, I slipped the hospital gown off and put the clothes on. I pulled the blanket back over my legs then turned towards the right and saw the plate with the butterscotch pie. It looked and smelled heavenly! Then I noticed the flowers. I felt my stomach twist as I remembered what the note said, but pushed the feeling aside. I grabbed the plate and set it on my lap only to realize I didn't have a fork. _Well, it's not like anyone is going to see me eat this. And if I call a nurse, they'll probably take it away so that's a no go. Hands it is._ I picked the slice up and blew on the top for a bit before carefully taking a bite. All my worries melted away as the flavor of butterscotch rang across my tongue. Hints of cinnamon could be tasted as I chewed. I'd been so enraptured by the pie, I failed to notice someone had entered the room.

"ya really like that pie, don'tcha, kiddo?"

I froze in horror as I recognized the voice. My face flushed crimson as I set the piece of pie down and swallowed the bite. With sticky fingers, I signed that he should've knocked. Sans laughed, his ever-present smile growing wider.

"i did. but ya were too preoccu _pied_ ," Sans said with a wink.

"Where's Papyrus?" I would have crossed my arms in a huff, but my hands were still covered in pie bits and I didn't want to spread the mess.

"he's comin'. but he had an errand ta run. pa _pie_ rus has a sur _pies_ fer ya."

I scrunched my face up and pouted.

"Stop with the puns," I signed exasperated. "I didn't have any silverware and this is the only thing I've eaten all day."

Sans raised a nonexistent eyebrow at me.

"dun they feed ya, kid?"

I rolled my eyes.

"You mean the inedible mush they gave me this morning? Wasn't happening."

"ya've always been picky," he chided, grinning.

I huffed. "Like you would eat it," I signed while rolling my eyes.

Ignoring Sans, I glanced at my sticky fingers. I wasn't about to wipe them off on my dress. Using my feet, I kicked the covers off and pushed them away from me. Swinging my legs over the bed, I stood up and was about to head over to the bathroom but then stopped. Remembering today's earlier incident, I glanced over at the IV stand in disdain. I could use it for support as I walked along, however that would mean getting pie all over the stand.

 **Sans's POV:**

"need a lil help, kiddo?"

Frisk turned her attention over to me.

"I'm not a kid and I can handle it myself, thank you." She signed, clearly annoyed.

"ya sure? i dun wanna encroach on yer indepiedence n' all, but according ta tori, tha doctors said yer not s'posed to walk yet. at least not without help." I gave her a knowing look which was met with a sigh of frustration. I chuckled as she muttered "Tattletales," under her breath.

"Fine," She signed. "Why don't you use your magic to carry me to the bathroom? That way I won't get pie on you."

I winced a little at that.

"i dunno if yer soul can handle that right now."

 _and i can't do anything ta help her with that,_ I thought glumly. My healing magic was pathetic. If I tried, I just might make it worse. Papyrus on the other hand... I watched Frisk's expression fall as she cast her gaze downward.

"dun feel so down, frisk. fer now, lemme help ya ta tha bathroom. and maybe papyrus can help with yer soul predicament when he gets up here."

Frisk's head shot up, her facial expression curious. I walked over to her and grabbed the IV stand with my right hand.

"put yer right arm around my waist," I directed.

"But my fingers," she vocalised.

"i'll be fine, sweetheart. nothing some soap and water can't fix."

Once Frisk did as I asked, I slipped my left arm around her waist to support her better. I felt her stiffen and looked at her concerned.

"ya okay?"

She merely nodded turning her head away from me, hair covering her face.

"alright, Hun. les go nice and steady now."

We crossed the room in a slow manner, getting there step by step. After we had gone forward a few feet, I felt Frisk's legs give out as she sank some and her arm tightened around my waist. I felt my cheek bones flush slightly as I hoisted her back up with my left arm and adjusted her back into be original position.

"I'm fine," She mumbled.

Making no comment, we continued on until we made it to the bathroom. I loosened my grip around her waist and she let go of mine. I stepped away, confident she could wash her hands on her own. In the mirror, I could see a blush had risen in Frisk's cheeks. I was sure that was probably because of the exertion of energy it took to make it to the bathroom. The blush was made more pronounced due to the pink dress she was wearing. I smiled to myself. Frisk in a pink dress? _must be toriel's doing,_ I thought. It looked good on her. The dress was simple, hugging her tiny frame with the skirt slightly flared out. I felt my blush return and jumped slightly when Frisk tapped my arm.

"N-Now's not the time to be daydreaming, skeleton," Frisk teased.

Her voice sounded shaky but I again passed it off to tiredness. Besides her dislike for talking. As we headed back, I tripped over the IV stand, sending the both of us crashing down to the floor. I let go of the stand, wrapping both arms around Frisk and used my magic on my soul to stop us from falling. I looked into her eyes. A swirling storm of ocean blue greeted me. Our faces we very close and my breathing hitched. Before I could do anything stupid, I used my magic to make us upright and helped her to the bed.

"ya okay, sweetheart?" I asked.

Frisk simply nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, but didn't let go of me. Giving her an odd look, I sat down next to her. I was surprised when she leaned her head down on my shoulder. My blush hadn't gone away and it now intensified. Her eyes closed as she sank her body weight into me.

"what's up, sweetheart?"

"I'm tired, Sans," she whispered.

"i would imagine so..."

Instinctively, I began to stroke her hair, running it through my phalanges. While it seemed impossible, given my anatomy, I could feel that her hair was soft. Frisk simply sighed and leaned in closer. I gazed absentmindedly around the room, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

"Sans, I—"

Before Frisk could finish her sentence, someone knocked on the door. We both jumped and quickly untangled our arms from the others waist. Frisk scooted over some, using the IV tube to pull the stand over a bit. Considering how we were positioned, the IV being next to me, the movement caused the IV stand to tip over, hitting me on the head. I muttered a few unintelligible things as I righted the stand and moved it around me to where Frisk was now seated near the foot of the bed.

"Sorry," Frisk giggled a little.

"that wasn't funny," I mumbled. The door opened revealing Papyrus with a gift bag in tow.

"SANS, HUMAN! I HEARD A THUD, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?"

I chuckled.

"all good, pappy,"

"The IV stand just fell onto Sans is all," Frisk signed.

"OF COURSE. ONLY SANS WOULD BE SO CLUMSY,"

"it wasn't my fault!" I protested, smiling at my bro.

"WHATEVER YOU SAY, BROTHER." Papyrus turned his attention to Frisk. "HUMAN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS BROUGHT YOU A GIFT!"

Frisk smiled and took the gift bag from Papyrus's outstretched hands. After setting the gift down on her lap, she signed thank you and opened the bag. She pulled out a cyan blue scarf with which she promptly proceeded to wrap around her neck.

"I love it, Pappy!" She signed, smiling.

"OF COURSE, YOU DO. AFTER ALL, WHO COULD NOT LOVE A GIFT FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS? AND NOW YOU LOOK AS AWESOME AS I DO!"

Frisk and I both laughed, nodding our heads in agreement.


	20. Chapter 19

**Sans's POV:**

I watched my brother and Frisk conversate. They smiled happily and chattered as though they were old friends who hadn't seen the other in a long time. Frisk's eyes were aglow, the cyan scarf enhancing two pools of ocean blue. But amidst the warmth, a darkness like the abyss of the sea could be detected. _something is bothering her,_ I thought. _whatever it is, it's serious._ I brushed the thought aside for now with the intention of asking her how she was later. Then I remembered what I had told Frisk earlier before Paps had burst into the room.

"hey, paps?"

Frisk and Papyrus stopped talking and turned their attention to me.

"YES, BROTHER?"

I leaned back, putting my arms behind me to support myself. Shutting one eye, I looked at Papyrus.

"it would sure be great if tha human, er, frisk could come home soon, huh?"

"OF COURSE, IT WOULD. BUT TORIEL SAID FRISK WOULD BE STAYING HERE UNTIL SHE GETS BETTER. YOU KNOW THAT SANS,"

I shrugged, grinning.

"what if she were healed? there wouldn't be a point ta her being at tha hospital then, would there?"

He gave me a puzzled look, then a lightbulb in Pap's head went off.

"OH, MY GOODNESS, SANS! THAT'S BRILLIANT! I DON'T KNOW WHY I HADN'T THOUGHT OF IT MYSELF! FOR ONCE YOU WEREN'T A LAZY BAG OF BONES."

"i try," I said with another shrug.

 **Frisk's POV:**

Papyrus rolled his nonexistent eyes at Sans before turning to me.

"What are you guys talking about?" I signed, curious. I thought back to what Sans had said about Papyrus being able to help wondered if it had anything to do with that.

"I'M GOING TO HEAL YOU, FRISK!" Papyrus said excitedly.

"How?" I tilted my head slightly.

"WHY, WITH MAGIC OF COURSE."

"tha skeleton race is famous within monster kind fer having healing magic. tha only other species of monster with this kinda magic 're boss monsters," Sans explained.

A memory resurfaced from long ago. I looked over to him and signed, "Couldn't you or Toriel have healed me then, too?"

Sans' gaze darkened for a brief second before he regained his composure.

"nah, paps is way betta at it then i am. as fer tori? she was probably too overcome with grief at tha time ta have thought about that,"

I flinched on the inside at that and cast my gaze downward, playing with my fingers. Papyrus caught on to the tension and placed a bony hand on my shoulder.

"FRET NOT, FRISK. YOU ARE FINE NOW AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS. AND YOU WILL SOON BE EVEN BETTER!"

I looked up at Papyrus as he grabbed my hands. His eye sockets closed as he concentrated. Suddenly, they opened, glowing with an orange light. _Strange_ , I thought. _When Sans uses magic, only one eye glows..._ The room suddenly darkened, distracting my train of thought. I felt a pulling sensation at my chest. My soul materialized in front of me. At least what was left of it. The soul shard pulsated. The surface was cracked and it seemed to be bleeding. I cupped my hands around it, hugging it close.

"FRISK..." Paps looked into my eyes, expression saddened. "I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH, BUT I WILL DO MY BEST TO FIX IT." He had a determined look in his face. I smiled softly.

"Thank you," I whispered as I released my soul.

A warmth enveloped my being as orange magic wrapped around the soul shard. The light emanating from Papyrus' magic was so bright, I had to shield my eyes. It felt like there was wind in the room, whipping my hair around along with the bed sheets. The bed itself seemed to be shaking from the might of his magic. I felt myself begin to levitate and squeaked in surprise. His magic was now wrapped around me, my soul and himself. It pulsed to the rhythm of my soul. Energy was coursing through me, weariness fading away. Suddenly the magic went straight into my soul, no longer enveloping Papyrus and me. The bleeding stopped and the cracks glowed, but they wouldn't seal. I watched Papyrus' brow furrow in concentration as more magic was poured into the soul shard. The pressure I felt on my soul increased.

"Don't exert yourself, Papyrus," I said softly. "Some things cannot be fixed, even by the strongest of magic."

"FORGIVE ME, HUMAN,"

Papyrus' magic gently lowered me back on the bed. The cracks on my soul still glowed however, even though his magic had left it. It seemed while the magic wouldn't make the cracks disappear, it acted as a bandage. My soul went back into my body and light returned. Paps looked defeated and exhausted. I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Papyrus," I whispered. "You did your best, you helped. I feel much better now. Thank you."

His face lit up and he smiled.

"YOU ARE VERY WELCOME, FRISK!" Papyrus pulled me into a hug which I gladly accepted.

"i dun mean ta intrude on yer hugging party or anything, but if anything needs fixing now, it's tha room."

The mood broken, I pulled out of Papyrus' embraced and examined my surroundings. My hospital room was a mess. The sheets were rumpled, pillows on the ground and a piece of pie was stuck to the wall. Pie?

"Nooooooo," I wailed. My precious pie, all over the wall. The skeleton brothers followed my gaze.

Sans put his hand over his mouth, eyes widening. I could tell he was holding back. Papyrus on the other hand looked as crestfallen as I felt.

"I AM SO SORRY, FRISK. YOUR POOR PIE! FEAR NOT, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GET YOU A NEW SLICE OF PIE. NYEH HEH HEH!"

Before I could say anything, Paps was out the door. Sans burst out laughing, unable to contain his amusement any longer.

"That's not funny!" I signed, annoyed.

"i dunno, kid. i found it very _humerus_."

I glared at Sans and signed for him to help me clean up. I stood up with ease, no longer having to worry about my legs giving out. Sans went to cleaning the pie off the wall while I straightened up my bed. As I placed the last pillow in its proper spot, I noticed a card on the ground. I froze. Quickly, I picked it up and tried to shove it back under the pillow before Sans could notice. Luck was not on my side.

"whatcha got there, sweetheart?"

I turned to Sans, pulling a poker face.

"Just a get-well card," I signed.

Sans gave me a knowing look. I wasn't fooling him.

"why're ya hiding it yer your pillow then? doesn't it make more sense ta put it next ta tha azaleas?"

I glanced at the vase of flowers. _So that's what those are called,_ I mused.

"It's precious to me," I signed hurriedly, wanting Sans to drop the subject. "Didn't you ever put things that were precious to you under your pillow as a kid?"

Sans gave me a hard stare. I felt guilt crawling down my spine. He simply shrugged and winked.

"can't say i have. humans have weird childhood traditions."

I mentally let out a sigh of relief that Sans stopped bothering me about the card. Things would not bode well if he knew of its contents.


	21. Chapter 20

I was released the following day; the hospital staff could scarcely believe how I had healed so quickly. Doctor Powell however, merely gave me a knowing look. I didn't trust him. But he soon slipped from my mind, as did the death threat I'd received during my short hospital stay as the days went by.

Life had become rather peaceful, considering all the events that had transpired. Chara stayed with me and Asriel stayed in the guest bedroom at Toriel and Asgore's house. Tori has been notably happier since her long-lost children are back. That's understandable, considering they were both dead once upon a time. But now it was like they were never gone in the first place. Much to my surprise, even Sans was warming up to Chara some.

And when I thought things couldn't be better, human-monster relations improved vastly; more and more people were becoming accepting of monster kind. Policies had even been instated that ensure beginning next school year, monsters will be able to attend human schools and universities. It's a slow process, but we're getting there.

Around a month or so after my hospital release, Toriel declared school was out for the summer and I had officially graduated high school. Though to Asriel and Chara's dismay, they would be beginning school again come September.

"It won't be so bad, Chara," I signed.

Chara crossed her arms and huffed.

"Easy for you to say. You're already done with school."

I laughed with a small grimace.

"Not quite. I still must attend college if I'm to continue being the ambassador for monsters. I'm turning eighteen soon, so for me to maintain my position, I need to earn a degree in international relations."

Chara looked at me, dumbfounded.

"That sounds like a lot of work,"

I rolled my eyes, sighing.

"That's only the beginning," with a shrug I signed, "But hey, at least you get to go to public school."

It was Chara's turn to roll her eyes.

"Oh, goody. Public school."

I had clearly touched a sore spot. One I knew all too well myself.

"It won't be so bad," I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Azzie will be there, and so will Toriel."

She cocked her head at me.

"Right. I had forgotten Mom was going to be there."

"Yup. Building Dreemurr Academy has always been her dream. And it's finally become a reality. You know—"

"GIRLS!"

A familiar voice belonging to a certain skeleton boomed through the door, cutting me off.

"IT IS TIME TO LEAVE FOR THE PARTY. IT WON'T DO TO HAVE THE HONOURED GUEST BE LATE!"

"We're coming Papyrus," Chara replied.

We looked at each other and gave knowing smiles. Grabbing our purses, we headed out of my room to be greeted by Papyrus.

"FRISK, CHARA, YOU LOOK LOVELY. I AM CERTAIN TORIEL WOULD APPROVE."

"What, are you the fashion police?" Chara laughed.

"No," A voice floated down the hall followed by a tall, stylish robot. "That would be my job."

"Mettaton!" I signed, smiling.

"Frisk, darling! It is so good to see you again."

"What about me?" Chara pouted.

Mettaton glanced at Chara with a playful grin.

"So impatient! I was saving the best for last."

Gasping, I clutched my chest and pretended to be offended.

"Traitor," I signed, giggling.

"LADIES, METTATON, WE REALLY MUSN'T BOONDOGGLE. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS BEEN TASKED WITH MAKING SURE YOU ALL ARRIVE ON TIME. AND I SHAN'T DISAPPOINT. OFF WE GO!" Papyrus began to gently push us in the direction of the stairs.

"Alright, alright, we hear you."

The four of us headed downstairs and out the door. We piled into Papyrus' car and were soon on the road. I tapped on Mettaton's shoulder and he turned towards me.

"Where is the graduation party?" I signed to Mettaton.

"That's a surprise, my dear. I'm sure you'll love it!"

"Naturally," I beamed. "If anything has to do with you, it'll be spectacular." I winked at him.

"Oh, you're too much." Mettaton blushed a bit before turning back to face the front.

"Ever the flirt, aren't cha, partner?"

I shrugged and winked at Chara, smiling coyly.

"Naturally,"

Chara sighed and stared out the car window for a little while. The car was quiet, save the music Papyrus had turned on.

 ** _"Y'know, I'm sure there's a certain monster who gets jealous every time you do that."_**

I jumped slightly, then realized Chara was communicating through our minds. For that I was grateful. I knew where this was headed.

 _What do you mean?_ I replied, feigning confusion.

 ** _"You're always flirting with everyone,"_**

I glanced at Chara. _That's just my way. Everyone knows that by now._

 ** _"Sure, they know, but that knowledge may not help."_**

 _What are you getting at?_

 ** _"You seriously haven't noticed?"_**

 _Noticed what? And whom are you referencing?_

She let out a sigh and turned to me.

 ** _"C'mon_** **bonehead _, use your_ skull _."_**

Called it. Have to change the subject, play it off.

 _Papyrus_? I gave her an amused look. _We're simply friends. I cleared that up after our first date. Besides, it's kind of obvious he has a thing for Undyne._

 ** _"No, you_** **numbskull _!"_** Chara stared at me, exasperated. She wasn't going to let me off easy. ** _"Frisk, stop it. You know who I'm talking about."_** I looked away from her.

 _I doubt he does. He probably just sees me as another family member. Like a sister or something._

Chara smirked triumphantly. I glanced back at her with a glare.

 ** _"Didn't take very too long get you to crack, partner. And I'm fairly certain Sans sees you as more than that."_**

I scoffed mentally. _After everything that has happened, being seen as his little sister is almost too much to hope for. Anything more? Ha._

 ** _"But you'd like him too, wouldn't you?"_**

I could feel my face burning. Chara got that look on her face, smiling deviously.

 ** _"You're blushing!"_**

 _Am not!_ I shot back, pressing my lips together, cheeks puffed. I attempted to regain my composure.

 _I do NOT have any feelings for him. At least not anymore. It was a silly childhood crush, nothing more. Besides, I'm pretty sure I ruined any chance I had. And how could you possibly know if he—_

 ** _"Denial is oozing out of you like melted cheese and it's pathetic."_**

That shut me up real quick. She wasn't wrong. I turned my head to look out the window, rubbing the back of my head.

 _Can't keep anything a secret from you, huh?_

 ** _"Not when we shared bodies for so long. Besides, it's obvious."_**

My head snapped to face her.

 _It's that bad?_

Chara nodded solemnly, then grinned.

 ** _"It's pretty obvious he likes you as well. You both are just too dense to notice."_**

 _Hey!_ I crossed my arms, indignant. She took on a thoughtful expression.

 ** _"But I can see how you would think he didn't, considering the last run."_**

I sighed. _I'd like to believe you, Chara, but it's just so unlikely. I've been pushing these feelings aside for a long time now. Sans hating my guts the past few years made that easier. I played nice and so did he, for the most part. Having him find out I like him probably would have made things worse._ I could imagine his eyes going dark then coldly laughing, reminding me of what I'd done before rejecting me. Even now, though we've cleared things up, I can't help but fear that will be his response. _Can we stop talking about this now?_

 ** _"Well, I got you to admit you like him, so yes, we can stop. For now. Baby steps; we'll get there."_**

It was Chara's turn to wink at me.

 _You better not be planning anything._

 ** _"I promise nothing."_**


	22. Chapter 21

Soon, a hotel loomed into view. THE SHERATON was emblazoned on the side of the building. Eyes widened, my mouth fell into a small o. I'd only ever seen pictures of the place. The hotel's ballroom was reportedly magnificent.

"I hope you don't mind, darling," Mettaton said from the front. He turned around. "It was the best I could do on short notice. Toriel informed me only last week that she wanted to throw a graduation party for you."

I shook my head vigorously.

"No, this is great! I've always wanted to come to The Sheraton," I took on a confused face. "Why such a large venue though?"

"Did your mother not tell you she invited all of the monsters in the area? She's very proud of you, y'know."

My stomach twisted a bit. That was a lot of people.

"The world's biggest flirt is afraid of crowds?" Chara nudged me playfully.

"No," I signed whilst sucking my cheek in. "I just thought it was going to be a small, private, celebration is all."

"Don't worry darling, tonight is going to be spectacular! You'll be fine,"

 _If you say so,_ I thought to myself. "Alright, Mettaton." I flashed him a winning smile. Satisfied, Mettaton turned back in his seat.

Soon, we pulled into the hotel parking lot and made our way to the hotel entrance. I felt butterflies dancing in the pit of my stomach. The last time I'd been to a big function like this was the middle school formal. And that had gone badly. I bit the inside of my cheek as we walked across the parking lot.

"THIS WAY, EVERYONE!"

Papyrus held his arm out pointing in the direction of the doors and marched on proudly. I giggled, his confidence lessening the butterflies. _It's just a graduation party, I reminded myself. It's not a dance where your date stood you up last minute. Besides, that was only sixth grade, any relationships then were meaningless—_

 ** _"I can hear your rambling. You should do a better job of closing off your mind."_**

 _S-Sorry,_ I stammered. _It's just nerves._

I glanced back at Chara. She stuck her tongue out at me.

 ** _"Try not to worry so much, partner. It's a party for you! If you don't have fun, that kind of defeats the purpose of having it. It'll be fine."_**

 _I know... Well, everyone there is going to be a monster, and they're generally very nice by nature. So, yes, you're right. Everything will be fine._

 ** _"Atta girl,"_**

Chara linked her arm in mine and we continued on. Mettaton took the lead as Papyrus held the hotel door open for us. Mettaton led us down a corridor before promptly turning right. At the end of the hall, two gigantic doors were open, displaying the ballroom in all of its glory. It was gorgeous! Gold and white was everywhere. From the tables to the chandeliers. There were all sorts of monsters, many I recognized. Some were dancing, others were in line for food. Then Mettaton turned his speakerphone mode on.

"Beauties and gentlebeauties, our honoured guest has arrived! Please give her a round of applause!"

Everyone stood up and began to cheer. I blushed, embarrassed by all the attention. You would think I was used to this by now, being the monster ambassador. A compartment on Mettaton slid open and he took out a microphone. He held it out to me. I looked at him worriedly before accepting it.

"Say something," he smiled. I unlinked arms with Chara and fumbled around with the mic to turn it on.

"T-Thank you everyone," I stuttered. "I appreciate you all t-taking the time to come out here. I hope you all have a splendid evening!"

More clapping ensued but soon died down. With shaking fingers, I handed the microphone back to Mettaton.

"You did wonderful, darling!" He beamed.

"GOOD JOB, HUMAN!"

"Thanks, guys," I signed with a wavering smile.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave. There's a certain doctor I need to find." With that Mettaton skipped off.

"Mettaton is a bigger flirt than you are. Poor Alphys," Chara chuckled. I turned to Chara.

"You know she secretly loves it," I signed. "For her it's like an anime come to life."

"Heya, punk!" A voice came from behind, interrupting us. "Finally made it to your own party, eh?"

I gestured towards Papyrus.

"Pappy dear made sure we did."

He blushed slightly. "IT WAS NOTHING BIG, JUST KEEPING MY WORD TO TORIEL,"

"Of course," Undyne flashed a toothy smile. "One of the first lessons I ever gave him was to be punctual." She turned to me. "How've ya been holdin' up, Frisk?"

"A lot better now, thank you."

"That's always good to hear. Can't have my _best friend_ be illen'."

I smiled at her reference to when we'd first met.

"Naturally! Even if it were so, nothing golden flower tea couldn't fix."

"Or a spaghetti lesson," We both snickered at the memory. I glanced back at Chara only to see she wasn't there anymore. I looked around the room and spotted her. She seemed to be walking towards... Asriel. _Figures_ , I thought with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, I'm going to find Toriel. It was nice catching up with you Undyne. You two have fun," I winked at Papyrus. The orangey glow on his cheek bones grew slightly brighter as I turned to leave.

 **Sans's POV:**

I watched Frisk from across the room, who seemed to be looking for someone. Deep purple fabric hugged her petite frame, skirts swaying along with her hips. The royal insignia was cut out on the dress's back, exposing bare skin. Frisk found Toriel, who was with Asgore, and began talking animatedly with her hands. She turned, her face now in view. Her hair was swept up in an elegant up-do, two curls framing her face perfectly. Frisk's eyes were blue gemstones set upon beige porcelain.

"I don't understand why you don't just tell her," Jumping a little, I looked to my right. A familiar glasses baring flamed head met my glance.

"whaddaya mean?" I replied.

"You know exactly what I mean. The two of you cleared things up, right? I don't see any reason why you can't tell her you like her." He crossed his arms.

"heh," I laughed. "i'm not interested in tha kid,"

Grilbz gave me an admonishing look. Or at least it's what he probably did. You can't really tell when he doesn't have any facial features.

"Frisk isn't a child anymore, Sans. She'll be eighteen in a couple of months. And I'm quite certain you do have a thing for her. At least drunk you does." Grilby took on a thoughtful look. "What was the saying? A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts?"

"alright, alright," I grumbled. "ya got me," Lifting up a bony finger, I pointed at him. "but i dun think ya have room ta talk."

"Whatever do you mean?" It was Grilby's turn to feign ignorance.

"ya've liked muffet fer like, a decade, dude. and ya've done squat."

"T-That's because there is simply no way she'd be interested in me. She swore we were rivals, remember?"

"how could i? tha day she stormed in, whew! declaring ya two were at war fer tha customers," I chuckled then mumbled, "not like there were a lot ta begin with..." I looked up at Grilbz. "it's been years, bro. take a chance. heat up tha coals and ya might get a _flame_ ," I winked at him. Grilby groaned and hit my softly on the shoulder.

"Oh, knock it off," He paused for a moment. "Here, we both have to at least dance with the ones that have caught our affections. Bonus points for confessing. What do you say?"

I gave Grilby a knowing grin.

"challenge accepted."


	23. Chapter 22

p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Toriel had apologized for not telling me that she invited a lot of people. Of course, I forgave her. I know she's proud of me and wanted to show off her precious child. Toriel suggested I go and visit with some of the monsters. I think she just wants me to socialize with people other than my close friends and family. However, I complied and started going around the room./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" It took a little while, but soon I was rather comfortable with talking to everyone. My shell was broken and it would be some time before it was glued back together. Many congratulated me, others gushed over how much I had grown from when I first set everyone free. I simply smiled and welcomed the compliments. A warm, fuzzy feeling built up inside me as I continued to go around the room talking to everyone. emPerhaps having such a large party wasn't a bad idea after all, /emI thought. This went on for around an hour or so before I retreated to the punch bowl. I hadn't drunken anything all evening and my throat was parched, despite primarily communicating through sign language./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Suddenly, the lights dimmed and slow tempered music began to play. People began to gather on the dance floor, mostly couples from what I saw. I noticed Toriel and Asgore had entered the dance floor as well. emNo surprise there. They wouldn't miss an opportunity to slow dance with each other, /emI mused, smiling. To my surprise, a certain fire elemental monster and spider took to the floor as well. I'd suspected the two had a thing for each other, this confirmed it. To no surprise, Asriel had managed to convince Chara to dance with him. They were so cute together! It was adorable the way Chara stumbled about, attempting not to step on Asriel's feet. Taking a sip of my punch, I continued to survey the scene. Mettaton and Alphys soon took the spotlight as Mettaton pulled off some flashy moves. emPoor, Alphy/em, I giggled at her flushed cheeks./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Looking around, I sought out Papyrus and Undyne. Soon I spotted them near the corner of the dance floor, away from everyone else. The two were rocking back and forth slowly, both of them had a blush equivalent to a bad sunburn. Everyone had someone, it seemed. Everyone except for me. I sighed and mindlessly sipped my punchem. I wish Sans would ask me to dance.../em Soon, I headed over to the table that was designated for me, my close friends, and my family. I idly played with my fingers as I watched all the couples dance./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Maybe I'll just get up and start dancing anyways," I mumbled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "hey there, pretty lady,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" I felt my cheeks flush as I turned my head to my left. There Sans stood, hand held out. I noticed his cheek bones had taken on a light cyan colouring./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "ya seem awful bonely standing here by yerself. care ta dance?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" I giggled at his pun an accepted his hand. Sans led me out onto the dance floor. He put his free hand on my waist, which caused me to blush even more than I already was. As I put my hands on his shoulder I asked, "S-So, who put you up to this?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "i see ta think highly of me," He teased. I made a face./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Sans, why would your pile of lazy bones willingly do something that requires physical exertion?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Sans chuckled. "alright, ya caught me. grilbz noticed ya were by yerself and told me ta go ask ya ta dance,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" I knew it. Like he would ask me on his own./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Grilby has been dancing for a while now," I said, subtly calling him out on his last statement. "And with Muffet I might add."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" He grinned./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "him and muffet? that's a new development."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I had had a feeling the two liked each other. Despite Muffet's apparent hostility towards Grilby,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" We were both grew quiet as we swayed back and forth. I looked down at our feet. I don't think I could handle staring directly at him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "So, Papyrus and Undyne," I said, breaking the silence./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "i trust her," Sans replied coolly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "They make a cute couple."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "i won't disagree with that," He chuckled. "paps always had a thing fer her. finally worked up tha guts ta do something about now that she's had a break from her last relationship, it would seem."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Is that why he joined the Royal Guard?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "yes n' no. ya know papyrus, he genuinely wants ta help people. it's in his nature. getting ta be around undyne all the time was jus' a bonus."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The slow and gentle music soon died away to be replaced with something more upbeat. I was about to let go of Sans' hand when he spoke./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "d'ya know how ta swing?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "What?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Sans adjusted his hand hold on mine. Instead of simply having my hand on top of his, it was like a cookie in a glass of milk. He then lowered our entwined hands to waist height. I looked up at him confused./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "i'll take that as a no. it's fairly easy, i can show ya how."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Sans gave me a speed lesson on how to do swing. You basically just step forward and back in a rocking motion, then swing out every now and then. We practiced for a little bit longer until the next song started. It pretty much had the same tempo, so I assumed it was another swing song./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "five, six, seven, eight, n' go!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" We stepped in beat going back and forth steadily. I kept my focus on our feet as to make sure I wouldn't step and his feet. This went on for a couple of minutes before he told me to look up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "relax, dancin' is supposed ta be fun,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" I giggled nervously as I looked up into his eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I l-literally just learned this dance. I don't know how relaxed you expect me to be."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" That only garnered me a laugh as we continued to dance to the beat./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "let's try ta swing out, eh?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You sure?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "what could go wrong?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emA lot of things,/em I thought dryly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "alright, and one, two, three, and swing!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" I spun and swung out, and keeping to the beat, swung back in. My face flushed with the exhilaration./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "yer a natural," Sans grinned. I returned the smile, almost breathless./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" We continued to dance until I declared my legs were going to turn into jelly and I would then have to eat them because of how hungry I was./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "i guess we better fix that,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" We went back to the table and got our plates. As we walked over to the food table, I glanced at Sans. I hadn't really noticed what he had been wearing. I was too preoccupied trying to not make a fool out of myself. He was wearing a tux, though as of now he wasn't wearing his jacket. The tie around his neck was neatly done. Must be Papyrus' doing. I couldn't imagine Sans being able to properly do it. He looked rather dashing. I sucked in a breath, working up courage./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You look nice, S-Sans." Sans jolted a little and looked at me. "Well, you c-called me pretty earlier. Thought I'd return the complement," I mumbled, eyes cast downward./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "awe, thanks kiddo," I glanced back up at him. His cheek bones were a bright cyan blue. "let's get our food," he said, continuing towards the food line./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Y-Yeah, good idea." I followed on after him, scolding myself for doing what I had done, but congratulating myself at the same time./p 


	24. Chapter 23

**Sans's POV:**

 **(Everything that happened on the guys side that happened at the same time on the girls' side.)**

We headed back to the table. Grilby and Muffet were already there. He waved me over and I sat by him. I nudged Grilby.

"so, didja confess?"

The place where his cheeks would be began to turn flame blue.

"Y-Yeah..."

"and?"

"We're, ah, as she put it, an item, now."

"heh. looks like ya won this time," I winked at Grilby.

"I take it you didn't confess then?"

"nope,"

"At least you danced with her. It looked like you two were having fun."

I smiled. "yeah, we did."

"HEY, GUYS," My brothers voice came from behind me. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ARRIVED. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"you," I grinned mischievously.

"REALLY?!"

"of course! particularly about what's going on with ya and undyne."

"OH..." Pap's usually loud demeanor quieted. His voiced dropped to a whisper, which for him was basically talking at a normal level.

"Yes," Grilby chimed in. "That's exactly what we were talking about. What's happening between the two of you?"

"WELL," Papyrus started, voice still lowered. "WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A LITTLE WHILE NOW... I MEANT TO TELL YOU, BROTHER, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW YOU WOULD TAKE IT. I WAS... AFRAID."

My skull shut down for about two seconds before I was able to process what Papyrus had just said.

"Bravo, good sir! Way to capture the affections of Miss Undyne."

"SANS? SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus looked at me worriedly. I snapped out of my daze and looked at him.

"i'm alright bro, jus' needed a second. i was shocked a bit is all. i'm happy fer ya. i trust undyne to make sure nothing happens to you,"

"AREN'T I SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE WHO MAKES SURE NOTHING HAPPENS TO HER?"

I shrugged. "it goes both ways."

"IF YOU SAY SO, BROTHER."

 **Frisk's POV:**

 **(Everything that happened on the girls' side that happened at the same time on the guys side. Plus the rest of the chapter story. xD)**

When we got back to the table, everyone else began to join us. Chara was to my left and Toriel was on my right. Alphys and Undyne sat across from each other and Muffet was next to Alphys. All the guys were on the other end of the table with good amount of space between the groups. Perfect for grilling each other without the opposite sex overhearing anything.

"So," Chara gave me a knowing look. "You and the skeleton have fun dancing? You seemed really into it,"

"Right back at you, _partner_ ," I stuck my tongue out at her. "Asriel actually got you on the dance floor. Is it because you liiiiiiike him?" I smiled coyly.

Chara blushed and glared at me. "No! He's like my little brother! Kid-next-door kind of thing. Brother from another mother. I could never see him that way,"

"Sure," I rolled my eyes. "Your blush states otherwise."

"I s-ship it," Alphys giggled.

"You ship everyone, Alphys." Undyne chided.

"N-No I don't!" The lizard like monster protested.

"Oh? What's this, my child? You have a crush on Asriel?" Toriel looked at Chara curiously.

"I do not!" Chara exclaimed.

Toriel put he rose over her mouth and giggled. "My goat mom sense is tingling. I'm quite certain you like my _kid_." We both chuckled at her pun while Chara fumed.

"Excuse me," Someone cleared their throat. We all turned our attention to the woman dressed in a waiter's garb. "Would any of you care for some sparkling tea?"

I nodded and the others voiced their agreement. The waitress went around the table passing out glasses. I was about to take a sip from my glass when a string of web suddenly engulfed the glass and my hand.

"Don't drink that!" Muffet shrieked.

I looked up, horrified. Everyone else in the room was staring at our table now.

"What's wrong, Muffet?" Toriel asked worriedly.

"The waitress put something in Frisk's drink!" Our attention returned to the waitress who now looked angry.

"Tch," She clicked her tongue. "Plan B it is." The waitress whipped out a radio and spoke incoherently into it. Suddenly, gun shots range throughout the ballroom as figures completely shrouded in black materialized all around the room, pouring in from various doors. Several monsters cried out in fear, others in pain from being wounded.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" A rough male voice called out from the center of the room. The floor trembled as people stampeded towards the door. Before I could react, the phony waitress grabbed my wrist and maneuvered me into a head lock. I squirmed and tried to get out, but she pulled out a knife, pressing it against my throat. I quickly stilled.

"Unhand my child this instant!" Toriel's eyes gleamed dangerously, her fire magic gathering on her paws.

"Don't move an inch, or your precious ambassador dies!" She growled.

"It'll be okay," I signed in an attempt to calm Toriel down. "You—

"Not one more word out of you, you monster-loving whelp." I felt the knife's pressure increase. My hands ceased to move. I could see a familiar glowing blue eye out of my peripheral vision. My eyes widened as the realized what Sans was planning to do. Amongst all the ruckus, I could hear Asgore shouting orders to protect the monsters and for everyone to leave. Some monsters had taken it upon themselves to try and attempt to subdue the black cloaked humans, but to no avail. Dust, so much dust was beginning to scatter around the room. I watched in horror as monsters around me crumbled before my eyes.

"Don't let them take the souls!" Undyne cried out. One of the figures scoffed.

"As if we would want any of you filthy things to become a part of us," They spat.

The woman forced me to walk backwards. We were headed towards an exit near the back of the ballroom.

"P-Please don't hurt a-anyone else," I pleaded. "I'll come quietly, just please, stop this pointless bloodshed!"

She looked down at me, a sick look in her eyes. "So, the rumors were true. Frisk Dreemurr, monster ambassador, pacifist. Don't worry, little angle of death, we won't do more than necessary."

"if ya dun wanna have a bad time, i suggest ya unhand her," Sans' voice sounded from behind. The phony waitress whipped around, twisting me painfully with her.

"Or what?" Defiance flared in her eyes.

"or this,"

Suddenly, Sans teleported right in front of us, grabbing my shoulder. I felt a sting and then my vision turned blue. Sans teleported us away, but not before the woman had left a shallow cut in my neck. Sans quickly undid his tie, muttering unintelligible things as he fastened it around my neck.

"that should work fer now," He looked into my eyes. "are ya alright?"

I nodded, eyes wide and in shock.

"YARGH!"

Sans quickly spun around and threw up a wall of bones. The woman who had captured me slashed a knife through them. Memories of my Genocide run flashed through my mind. Sans built a barrier of blue bones around me.

"stay here,"

"Sans, wait!" I cried out, cringing at the pain. He looked back at me, but only for a moment.

"You're going to have to do better that that, skeleton!" The waitress barked.

"ya haven't even seen what i can dish out yet, lady," Sans grinned menacingly. The two battled on for what seemed forever. And I was trapped here, helpless.

"Don't kill her Sans! She just doesn't understand!"

"Oh, I understand plenty!"

"not sure that ya do," He gritted out as he blocked off another attack. "can't promise i won't kill her, sweetheart, tha way this is goin'."

I bit my lip, desperately wanting to help. Suddenly, the human threw out a smoke bomb. The area was soon covered in a haze. I couldn't see anything, save blue flashes from Sans' magic.

"Argh!" I heard a sickening sound as bone crushed bone. The same sound that graced my ears when Sans had killed me all those years ago. The smoke cleared and I could see Sans bent over, panting. He turned towards me and waved his hand, making my cage disappear.

"sorry, kiddo, i—"

"SANS, LOOK OUT!" I shrieked, running towards him.

His eye socket flashed and he turned, dodging the strike.

"ya mis—"

Sans's eye sockets widened and he looked down at his chest. A knife point was sticking out. With great effort, Sans created a bone and hit his attacker with it in the head, causing them to be knocked out. He reached behind his back and pulled the knife out, dropping it. The moment his attacker was out, all the other blacked clothed figures retreated. Sirens could be heard in the distance.

I rushed over to him as he collapsed. I lifted him up and place Sans on my lap. What little HP he had was draining quickly. His blood stained my dress, turning it into a deep magenta. I placed my hands over the wound, applying pressure. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't! I won't allow it.

"h-heya, sweet pea," Sans coughed, causing blood to trickle from his mouth.

"No, no, no, no," I sobbed. "Sans, you can't die. You're not allowed to."

"doesn't seem like ya have much of a choice there," he grinned weakly. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I could hear footsteps pounding towards me. Probably Toriel. I didn't care. She was too late. I could already feel Sans turning into dust. "sweetheart?" Sans brushed the tears from my eyes with a shaky skeletal hand.

"Yes?"

"this isn't yer fault, okay?"

"But it is!"

"it's not. i made... my decision... ta protect ya." Sans' breath grew shallower. "yer gonna haveta... let... me go,"

"I don't want to!" Tears threatened to spill over once again.

"shh, shh, dun cry, Frisk," He out made a labored effort to say my name. Enough to where the first letter was capitalized. "i suppose, if this is tha last chance i'm goin' ta get,"

"No, don't say that. I can fix this!"

"Frisk," Sans' lower half was almost completely gone. "i love you." My eyes widened in shock. "i've loved... ya fer a... very... long time now... i'm sorry... fer only now... working up tha _guts_... ta tell ya..."

"I can't believe you just made a pun," My voice cracked. "You're dying. This is no time for jokes."

"heh... yer right."

"Hey," I whispered.

"yes, Frisk?"

"I love you, too."

Sans' eye sockets slid shut.

"i'm glad... ta hear that..."

And with that, the rest of Sans turned to dust. His remains were scattered all over my hands and were clenched in my hands. An unearthly sound ripped out of my throat as I mourned. Amidst my tears, I spoke softly to his dust.

"It's going to be hard to let go, you know. I didn't just like you. Your wit and charm, your annoying antics, your kindness, and gentleness. I fell in love with all of that. I fell in love... With you."

I remained sitting there in silence, clutching Sans' jacket, for what seemed to be an eternity. I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder. I turned and looked up.

"Toriel," My voice cracked. She said nothing and pulled me into her arms. I heard the others gather around me.

"B-BROTHER?" Papyrus' heartbroken cry wrecked my heart.

The footsteps and shouts of police soon echoed through the ballroom. I loosened my arms around Toriel's waist and pulled back. A hard look set in my eyes.

"I have to fix this," I stated, determined. "Even if it means breaking the promise I made to Sans all those years ago."

"B-but, Frisk!" Alphys exclaimed. She knew what I meant. "S-Sans sacrificed his life for you! You can't just throw that away. What about Chara and A-Asriel?"

I turned to look at her. "What do you mean," I gave her a challenging look.

"You c-can't reset without your whole soul,"

"Reset?" Toriel questioned me. I ignored her.

"They'll have to give the shards back, won't they?"

Alphys shuffled nervously.

"Y-Yes... And then..."

"They will disappear. Forever." I finished her statement.

"Think about it Frisk. You k-know Sans wouldn't want you to reset.

"I," I paused, broken. "I know but..." I grew silent. Everyone looked at me expectantly. I looked at every one of them, seeking their counsel. Starting with Papyrus.

"RESETTING... I ASSUME THAT IS A WAY TO BRING MY BROTHER BACK. BUT, I-IF WHAT ALPHYS SAID IS TRUE, I TRULY BELIEVE SANS WOULD WANT IT TO BE THIS WAY, HUMAN. DON'T RESET."

I turned my attention towards Toriel and Asgore. Toriel spoke in their stead.

"We cannot make the decision for you, my child. Whatever you decide, you must commit and be ready to deal with the consequences."

My gaze landed on Undyne next.

"I... I'll have to agree with Asgore and Toriel... I'm sorry, Frisk." Undyne lowered her head and Papyrus wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Grilby? Muffet?"

"Don't waste what he's done for you, Frisk," Grilby said, blowing off his usually formalities. "It's not what he would want."

"I don't have much of a say in this, Frisk. I've never known you or Sans that well. I'll have to abstain." Muffet looked away.

"It's alright, Muffet. I understand."

My attention turned to the final two of everyone I held near and dear.

"Frisk... I... We... Asriel and I want you to take the soul shards back..." Chara mumbled quietly.

"But then you would die!" I frowned. "I want to bring back Sans, but I also want you two to stay and be alive. I can't just let you go. Not after everything I did to bring you back."

"Frisk," Asriel started. "Chara and I have had a good second run. I mean, we both already died once. In all honesty, we shouldn't even be here." Chara continued for him.

"We've both had our second chances. I think the smiley— I mean, I think Sans deserves one now."

I was silent. I didn't know what to do. I was torn in what decision to make. I played everything back in my mind. Everything that had happened. Everything that led up to this point. Holding Sans' jacket close, I decided.

"Alright, everyone," I vocalized. "I've come to a decision. I'm going to—"

 ****

 **Hello, my dear readers. It is up to YOU to choose Sans' fate. Will Frisk RESET or CONTINUE? _Choose wisely._**

 **Poll Link:**

 ***The Poll Is Closed. Please Continue On To The Next Chapter.***


	25. -Void-

_"that was cruel, y'know. letting them think they had a choice." Sans said to Brynwyth inside her head. She averted her eyes. From whom? Who knows. There wasn't anyone actually there._

 _"When did they ever have one?" Brynwyth asked to the air. "I'm certain many who voted just wanted to bring you back, despite the consequences. It makes me wonder... Besides, while killing you was the plan all along, ah... influencing the poll was last minute. I just really didn't want you to come back."_

 _"nice ta know im loved,"_

 _Brynwyth ignored him as she stared at the device in front of her. A scene from the game known as Undertale flashed through her mind. Black was all around. A child with black oozing holes for eyes stood before her. Brynwyth's hand hovered over a "Yes" and "No" option. She had come this far, but she didn't want to end it. Not just yet. She would RESET and try again. Something different, something new. Her hand touched "No" and she waited for the next bit of dialogue. She was uncertain what was about to happen next. The persona hadn't committed to a Genocide run before. The being in front of her laughed manically._

 _"DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAD A CHOICE?"_

 _Brynwyth shook her head at the memory as the words echoed through her mind. Her poll had just ended and the results were in. She smiled faintly. RESET had lost._

 _"no thanks ta you," Sans grumbled._

 _"Oh hush," she chided. "You're supposed to be dead."_

 _"yer right. technically yer just talkin ta yerself." He raised a nonexistent eyebrow._

 _"That's a sign of intelligence," Brynwyth retorted. She grew quiet. The persona was arguing with herself, which could be argued to be a sign of insanity. "Am I really doing this? I could pretend I didn't do anything..."_

 _"tell that ta yer guilty conscience," Sans snorted._

 _"I just did." She raised her eyebrows, smiling. Well, she raised one eyebrow and a hypothetical one. Being half skeleton, certain physical body parts did not exist. Brynwyth pressed her mouth into a thin line as best she could. "Should I publish this?" She crossed her arms, debating. A lightbulb went off in her head. "I'll ask Karasu!" The skelehuman highlighted the page and copied it. She exited out of the app she was using and opened her messaging app. Pressing down into the chat box, the "paste" option appeared. Brynwyth tapped it and then hit send following with a "I could just keep this whole page my guilty pleasure. A tidbit just for myself." She waited for a reply. However, it was very late. Brynwyth found herself waking up at noon the following day. She turned her phone on and was greeted by Karasu's reply. The persona was almost disappointed by the response. She hadn't really wanted to say anything and was merely playing around with the idea. Brynwyth still didn't have to, but she would. "I guess I should start writing the next chapter..."_

 _"they aren't gonna be very pleased with ya." Sans reminded her. Brynwyth sighed and glanced at the figure in her head._

 _"I know. But they are not the ones in control here. They are the spectators._ I _am the game master."_


	26. Chapter 24

"...CONTINUE," My voice shook slightly as I spoke that last word. _This is what Sans would have wanted,_ I reminded myself. But I could scarcely believe it. Toriel gently stood me up. Some of Sans' dust fell to the ground. Most of it clung to my dress from his blood. My mind went into a haze; everything that happened after was a blur.

I remembered police had questioned me and the others about the night's events. Yellow tape was everywhere. People were being checked by the doctors that had come. Dust was gathered up and sent to their respectful families. Many of our assailants had escaped. However, thanks to the few that were taken into custody, the police were hot on their trail. It turned out the Anti-Monster Committee, better known as the AMC, had sent the assassins to take me out. Everyone associated with the AMC and the operation that led to the attack were promptly arrested and were soon being put to trial. People were outraged that the AMC dare take out one of their own species. Someone who had "heroically stood up" for a race that merely wanted peace. Human-monster relations sky rocketed, but at a cost.

The following day, funeral arrangements were made. As much dust as possible had been removed from the dress and Sans' formal jacket. We decided to dress lazily, in honour of him. I wore his blue hoodie with the white floof alongside sweatpants and a thermal. Gathering up the hoodie over my nose, I inhaled his scent. It felt kind of wrong for me to be the one to wear it. I thought Papyrus should, but he had refused. Instead, he opted to wear the sock Sans never picked up. After washing it, of course.

I glanced around at everyone. Wind was blowing, tousling hair, fur, and clothing. Echo flowers whispered amongst themselves. They looked at my expectantly.

"This is where Sans would laze about if he wasn't at Grilby's," I explained. "He showed me this place. His secret getaway. I thought it was fitting we scatter his dust here..." My fingers trembled slightly. Never once did I imagine myself signing those words. If anyone was going to die, I figured it would be me. I heard a voice giggle in my head.

 ** _' ?_**

My head snapped up, looking around as my brow furrowed. I eventually made eye contact with Chara, but she simply gave me a confused face.

 ** _. E. ._**

I froze. It couldn't be... Toriel noticed the troubled expression on my face. She placed her hand on my shoulder, offering a comforting smile. My lips twitched upwards slightly in return. Brushing off the perturbing voice inside my head for now, (which is something I ought not to do anymore, truly) I tightened my grip on the vase that held Sans' dust. Silently, the others lined up beside me. With a shaking hand, I placed my fingers on the piece of cork. With a pop, the top came off. I held the vase out some and Papyrus came up to me. Reaching in, he scooped up a handful of dust. He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth, gently kissing it.

"BROTHER," He started, voice cracking. "SANS... YOU WERE ALWAYS SO LAZY. NAPPING AT YOUR SENTRY STATION, NEVER PICKING UP YOUR SOCK... YOU DIDN'T FEED OUR PET ROCK. IT REALLY MAKES A PERSON WONDER HOW YOU MANAGED ALL OF YOUR JOBS." Papyrus then made a face. "AND THOSE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PUNS... THAT ALWAYS MANAGED TO MAKE ME SMILE. SANS, YOU TOOK CARE OF ME, SUPPORTED MY DREAMS, AND DID YOUR BEST TO ENSURE I WAS HAPPY. THANK YOU, FOR EVERYTHING." Tears slid down his cheek bones as he released his grip. White dust was swept up into the wind before settling down on the luminescent flowers. The next person came up to me and grabbed a handful...

 _"Y-you were a-a great friend and f-fellow scientist."_ And the next followed...

 _"You were a shining star!"_ And another...

 _"The best punk around!"_ More came up to me...

 _"Consider your tab taken care of, old friend."_ Each gathering a handful...

 _"Thank you for keeping your promise."_ And releasing white unto the flowers...

 _"And for disobeying my orders."_ Making a thin blanket of "snow"...

 _"Wherever you are, I hope you're having a good time."_

My hands shook as I readjusted the vase. "Goodbye, sweetheart." I emptied the container out as his pet name for me slipped from my vocal cords.

We all stood there in silence as the echo flowers whispered.


	27. Author's Note

Ah, hey guys! This is it. This is the end(?) Actually, actually... Hummmm... I decided chapter twenty-four will be the last full on chapter as it just seems fitting to leave it there and then to add on little spurts... Editing will now commence. Any and all plot holes will be remidied, grammar corrected, things added, things taken away. While doing this I will write the spurts as well. I will also write some alternate ending chapters if RESET were to have taken place. It just won't be canon.

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me this far! I really appreciate your feedback and support. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know people are enjoying my story. Again, thank you. 3


	28. Post-Sacrifices: A Doll With Feelings

Toriel stood at Frisk's door, hand hovering over the wood. It had become routine for her child to shut herself in for days at a time, but it still worried her. Toriel knew the girl was pouring all of her efforts into ambassador work and college studies. It was Frisk's way of coping and she only wished there was something she could do to help. With few options to do this, Toriel opted to simply support Frisk until she decided she was ready. Today, however, Toriel would not let Frisk stay locked away. She rapped the door softly.

"My child, I implore you come out."

Frisk glanced at glowing numbers emanating from the clock on her bedside table. It's that time already, huh? She mused dully whilst sitting up. She blinked. The room was covered in shadows. Fading sunlight from the open curtains saw to that. Frisk slid out of the bed and stumbled to the door. Opening the wooden rectangle revealed a horned woman, Toriel. Their eyes met.

"Hello," Frisk signed. "Do I need to come down?" Her face held no emotion.

Toriel blinked in mild surprise. Frisk had expected this, she realized. The goat-esque female took in her daughter's appearance. Frisk was wearing a strapless blue dress. It had a sweetheart neckline with a knee-length skirt. A white ribbon tied around her waist pulled the outfit together. The girl's hair normally stopped at her shoulders with her bangs being slightly longer. But now, it fell just above her chest in loose waves. She didn't feel like cutting it.

"Ah, you're already ready..." Toriel trailed off. She cleared her throat. "The others are waiting for us in the car. Let's make haste, yes?"

Frisk simply nodded and stepped out of her room, shutting the door behind her. She followed her mother down the stairs and out the house. The car started moving once Frisk had slid in the backseat, next to Chara. Asgore looked back at Frisk from the drivers seat.

"Howdy, Frisk. I hope you are doing well."

"He-" Asriel started.

"Hey, partner! Excited about today?" Chara's shouted, promptly cutting the male off. Her optimism was almost overbearing. Like she was trying too hard. Frisk glanced at her and shrugged.

"A little bit," She signed. Chara elbowed her arm.

"Better than nothing," She beamed. Frisk arched a brow at her. Chara was being uncharacteristically cheery and nice. Frisk winced inwardly. She had made a pun unconsciously.

"I exist too, you know!" Asriel called out from the other side of the car. This outburst from Asriel garnered a small smile from Frisk, but only for a moment. "Whoop! Got her to smile before you did. No chocolate for you, Chara." Asriel stuck his tongue out. Chara made a face and grumbled a bit.

"You made the bed for your undoing," Frisk signed, nonchalant. "When you cut him off it was the perfect opportunity."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Chara crossed her arms with a huff. Frisk rolled her eyes and stared out the window. A silence filled the car with each passing second.

"L-let's turn on some music, shall we?" Toriel fumbled with the radio switch for a good minute before managing to get it to a decent station.

Frisk watched the scenery roll by, but she wasn't really seeing it. Hey eyes had glazed over, mind elsewhere. Chara gave Frisk a cursory glance of slight disdain. The girl's mouth was slightly open, chin being propped up by her hand which rested against the window. This is what had become of the person she respected the most. A lifeless doll.

"Frisk..." Chara sent a thought in her direction. Frisk continued to stare out the window. "Frisk!" Still no response. Chara's mouth twisted into a frown. She jabbed Frisk in the side with her elbow. Frisk straightened her back and turned in Chara's direction, pain flickering across her features.

"What was that for,?"

 **"I said your name. Twice."** Chara sent back, annoyed.

"Oh." Frisk's expression softened. She looked down and played with her fingers.

 **"Frisk, today is supposed to be happy. It's your birthday. Instead you act like someone shoved a bar of dark chocolate in your mouth that was eighty-five percent coacoa without mint filling."** Frisk took on a perplexed look.

"That was oddly specific. What are you playing at, hun?" Chara stared for a moment, caught off guard by the endearment. "Chara?" Chara shook her head slightly and put on a smile.

 **"Sorry, partner. I was remembering that time when I did just that. You moped around for the rest of the week."** She giggled at the memory. Frisk did not reciprocate Chara's thoughts about the event.

"It wasn't even real chocolate," She huffed.

 **"Void chocolate is still chocolate."** Chara protested. Frisk made a face and Chara smiled. The two fell into a comfortable silence, bobbing their heads slightly to the radio. "I miss this," Chara closed her eyes.

"Miss what, dear?" Frisk asked, confused. Chara sighed; familiarity pricked at her memories, but she couldn't place it. She looked at Frisk in the eyes.

 **"Just talking. Bickering, even. You're always shut up in your room or out doing ambassador work. I understand why, but... Be happy today, for me, please. Or at least pretend for the others. It's the big one dash eight. Have some fun."**

"I, ah, I," Frisk stuttered, refusing to meet Chara's eyes. "Okay." She agreed. Frisk turned away from Chara to stare out into the scenery once more. Her throat tightened and she made sure to block Chara out of her mind. "How can I be happy when you're not here? I finally had you back and now you're gone again." She asked to seemingly no one but her own thoughts. A single tear slid down Frisk's face before she carefully wiped it away.


	29. Pre-Sacrifices: Soundless Cries

" _ARGGHHHGHGGHHHHHHHH!_ " An unearthly scream fought its way down the hospital walls. Shortly after, panicked babble filled the hospital room.

"The cord is stuck around her neck!"

"Oh dear Lord, she's turning blue!"

"Faster doggonit!"

Family and friends fearfully barraged the doctor with words as he worked. He knew this unforeseen turn of events could mean permanent trauma to the child. The doctor finally slipped the umbilical cord off. Turning to the man standing next to him he said, "It's a girl," He clipped the cord, tied it off and then whisked the baby away and set her on an examination cradle that was nearby.

"Wh...where are... you going?" A tired voice called out. The doctor and team of nurses that had arrived ignored her, continuing to give the newborn their full attention. "I... I want to see my baby! Let me see my baby!" The new mother's husband came up to her side and held her hand comfortingly.

"Shh, shhh," He cooed. "Everything will be alright ", darling. We have a beautiful baby girl." He said these things to no avail. His wife just became more anxious.

"Then why can't I see her? I want to hold her. And what can't I hear my baby?! Something's wrong!" She began crying. "Let me hold my child!" Each cry became more weak, more desperate.

"Sweetheart, don't overexert yourself," Her husband continued to try and soothe his wife.

Meanwhile, the doctor and nurses all stared at each other in a shared knowledge. They watched the newborn open her mouth to cry, which truly would have been a beautiful sound at this point. But nothing came out. The doctor bit his lip. He feared something like this would happen when he saw the baby's umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck.

"Clean her up," He commanded. "Her mother wants to see her."

"But—"

"But nothing," The doctor cut the nurse off. "Other then this unfortunate event, the child is fine." Without another word, the child was cleaned, weighed, dressed, and then brought over to her mother.

"My baby!" She cried out, bring her child to her chest in a warm embrace. "Oh, there, there," She cooed softly.

"I will have to ask all friends and family except for the father to leave the room." The doctor stated. He was met with ditty glances and protest but they all left. He turned to the new parents, who were still enthralled by their child. The mother's eyebrows seconds together as she watched her baby cry. The child was clearly in distress but so sounds came out from her. Her head snapped up to meet the doctor's gaze.

"What's wrong with her?!" She demanded. The doctor sighed.

"When her umbilical cord was around your child's head, it caused trauma. Both of the baby's vocal cords have been permanently paralyzed. I'm sorry, but your child will never speak."

The mother turned to her husband as tears welled up in her eyes. Then she looked back down at her baby, gently bobbing her up and down as to stop her soundless cries. "That's okay, that's okay. We'll figure it out, yeah?"

"Yeah..." The husband became distant as her stared at his daughter.


	30. Alternate Ending: RESET 01

"...RESET," I clenched my eyes shut as the words slipped from my mouth. I couldn't bear to look at everyone. I didn't want to see their reactions. I didn't want to have to remember. It's not like they would. I felt something hold my hands. When I opened my eyes, Chara and Asriel were in front of me, giving me an encouraging smile. I made eye contact with both, giving each a small nod. We summoned our soul pieces and the room around us went black. The fragments glowed in front of us. Becoming ghostlike, Chara and Asriel disappeared into their pulsating soul shards. With a warm hum, the three pieces merged together and my soul was made whole once more. I closed my eyes, tears starting to form.

 _"Thank you,"_ I whispered softly to the fragile item cupped within my hands. To my surprise, I opened my eyes to greeted by a bed of golden flowers. I looked around, confused. A faint tingle went through my mind.

 _"Our last gift."_

It didn't take rocket science to figure out who said that.

"You both are too kind," I choked on a sob, knowing they couldn't hear me. Their final _ACT_ of _MERCY_ was to spare me the expressions on my loved ones faces, whatever they may have been. How they did it, I would never know. I could only be grateful. With a heavy soul, I summoned the loading screen. Once again I found myself in pitch black darkness with two objects lit up in front of me. _RESET_ and _CONTINUE._ Trembling fingers were placed on the left button. A dialogue box appeared.

 _Do you really want to_ _RESET_ _?_  
 _-_ _Yes_  
 _-No_

Slowly, but firmly, I pressed down on _Yes_ and in an instant my vision flashed white.

I woke up with a gasp. The smell of dead leaves and sweet nectar filled my nasal passages. Silken petals were being crushed under my clenched hands. Realizing this, I released the poor flowers. The sticky sap released from the inside of the flora coated my palms in patches. With a grimace, I wiped my hands on my pants. I was back. And hopefully for the last time.

The door to The Ruins slid shut behind me. I sighed, having forgotten how emotionally draining Toriel's fight was. But that wasn't what I was worried about. My mind in a haze, I took in the scene around me. Pristine white snow lay all around, blanketing the trees in a soft cover. With every step I took, the meek crunch of snow underfoot could be heard. Soon I came upon the stick. Instead of continuing ahead, I stood there.

"Sans?" I called out, knowing full well he was there, somewhere among the wood. Heavy footsteps sounded from behind. I turned around, facing the one I held true and dear. Sans' face was blank. I couldn't imagine what he was thinking in that moment. Taking a breath, I stepped forward and reached out to him. "Sans, I'm—"

"save it."

His words were clipped. Instinctively I shrank back. Instant guilt for my decision came crashing down on me. Regret coursed throughout my mind. I had expected this kind of response, but I was hoping it wouldn't have been this way. I could see Sans' expression soften. "look, kid... er, Frisk," He started. With a touch of warmth I noted my name remained capitalized. "ya did what you felt you had to. if our roles had been reversed, if you or paps had been..." He trailed off and we stood in awkward silence for a tense moment. "i would've broken our promise, too." Sans shoved his hands in his coat and looked away. "i don't blame you." For whatever reason, his confession didn't make me feel any better. My heart leapt into my throat and I felt tears begin to escape. As he spoke reality hit me.

"How can you say that?" Sans' unexpected forgiveness had thrown me off. I'd been fully prepared to live with him hating my guts. "I threw everything away. The progress we made on the surface, yours, Chara's and Asriel's sacrifices... All of that gone! Because, I, *hic*, because I was being, *hic*, being selfish." I finished quietly. Ice cold bones took hold of my hands. My head snapped up and I was face to face with Sans. When had he gotten so close? Before I knew it, Sans had pulled me into his embrace. I noted the cyan glow of his magic. He was using it to keep me warm as he had little of his own to offer.

"sweetheart," Sans mothered me, stroking my back calmly until my shaking and hiccups subsided. "sometimes," he whispered, "there's nothing wrong with takin care of yerself for once." I wrapped my arms around Sans, burying my face into the white fluff of his jacket. "besides," his voice sounded distant. "this was a reset after all. a do over. this time we'll make it right." Sans pushed me away some and made me look at him. "together." I frowned.

"B-but Chara! And Asriel... They're gone for good." Sans arched a nonexistent eyebrow.

"oh?"

I looked away. "After you... turned to dust... they offered their soul pieces back so I could _RESET_."

"the demons actually have a heart? i'm touched."

"Sans!" I cried out, jaw dropping. He chuckled in his easygoing way.

"relax, Frisk. i was joking."

"It wasn't a very good one," I mumbled. Sans apologized with a smile.

"welp, by the sounds of it they did that willingly."

"Yeah, but—"

"no buts. sweetheart, everything is fine." Sans tried to reassure me. I complied so we wouldn't have to go on about it, but I knew he was only saying that for my sake. Underneath all this acceptance and understanding, a subtle resentment could be detected. I had broken our promise, and in a sense, killed my best friends for good. Thanks to me, they had died. Again. I felt terrible. All of that hard work, gone. There was no way of knowing how the next three years would be again. The surface was unpredictable and didn't follow a strict dialogue were certain things to happen. Unlike the way it was in the Underground. However, while the future was uncertain, the only thing to be done now was to put Chara and Asriel's sacrifice to good use. This would be the final run. Everyone would make it to the surface, monsters would eventually be welcomed and accepted by most, and everyone would live out their lives as they should. _That's a promise._


End file.
